LG wants to bring the G6’s tiny bezels to mid-range phones

Listen to LG talk about the G6’s 18:9 aspect ratio and it’s clear the company believes 2:1 is the future, not only of cinema but also of digital media consumption. This is all fine and good. But the LG G6 has a noticeably “tall and skinny” look, one that would only be exacerbated on a cheaper phone without the luxury of flagship-size bezels above and below the display. At least, that’s what I initially thought.

You see, it seemed logical to me that on a top-of-the-line flagship device, LG would be free to apply its costly engineering know-how to minimize the bezels as much as it has on the G6. But it also seemed logical that mid-range and budget devices – if they were to share the same aspect ratio – would miss out on the same microscopic bezels. This kind of logic means one of two things: either mid-range LG phones in future would stick with 16:9 or they would switch to 18:9 and look bizarrely tall.

But there is also a third option, one which the title of this article makes clear. LG is clearly committed to the idea of the 18:9 aspect ratio. But I simply didn’t think it was reasonable to expect all LG devices going forward to adopt this new ratio. And while this may not be true immediately, because it isn’t yet economically viable on devices ranging from a couple hundred dollars up to $700, it is the future LG wants for a lot larger cross-section of its devices.

Without committing definitively to anything, LG’s design team told me that the same aspect ratio – and the G6’s tiny top and bottom bezel – will make their way to mid-range LG devices. For now, the form factor and tiny bezels will remain a flagship-level design exclusive; after all, the G6 should rightfully enjoy its exclusivity for a while. But the G series and V series will not be the only product ranges with this new aspect ratio in LG’s lineup in future.

But don’t expect the next L series devices to look just like smaller G6’s. It will take some pretty serious engineering work, manufacturing improvements and more to cost-effectively deliver this kind of display-to-body ratio on less expensive devices. But that is clearly the end goal. Barring any unforeseen obstacles, like a sudden consumer backlash to the 2:1 ratio, I’d expect the V30 to utilize the same 18:9 aspect ratio and be followed, eventually, by more and more LG mid-rangers.