Surprise: The OnePlus 6 Will Have a Notch

OnePlus’ next flagship Android smartphone, the OnePlus 6, will come with a notch. The company officially announced the notch on its flagship phone to The Verge, sharing a render of the notch on the phone which you can see above.

Notches on displays of flagships smartphones are rapidly becoming a trend. From Xiamoi to Huawei, almost all Android phone makers are embracing the notch, first seen on phones like the iPhone X and the Essential Phone. The notch is becoming a feature on all these new phones, with companies boasting about how their notches are smaller than the one on Apple’s iPhone X.

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And OnePlus isn’t any different. The company says the OnePlus 6’s notch is smaller than the iPhone X’s and bigger than the Essential Phone at 19.616mm x 7.687mm. OnePlus—like other Android phone makers—is insisting that its notch is better than others. “Pei believes that OnePlus’ notch is different, implemented with more thought and care. His opening remark about the choices a company makes was a bit of a dig at the Essential notch, which is the narrowest one we’ve seen so far. Pei says OnePlus couldn’t have gone that small without compromising the quality of the device’s earpiece and front-facing camera or omitting the proximity and ambient light sensors or the user-requested LED notification light,” reported The Verge.

The company has apparently manually tested more than a thousand popular apps on the Play Store and will offer a compatibility mode for those apps that don’t support the notch. It’s also moving the time on the status bar to the left in order to leave enough space for the status icons on the right. OnePlus is going for an iPhone X-inspired approach for the home buttons, too. The company is likely going to implement iPhone X-like navigation gestures on the OnePlus 6, which is already available as a beta for existing OnePlus devices. As an iPhone X user, I find these gestures incredibly intuitive and natural, and the experience shouldn’t be any different on the OnePlus 6.

Even then, the OnePlus 6 will have a screen-to-body ratio of 90%, which isn’t any larger than the company’s existing handsets. I am not too sure why exactly OnePlus is adding the notch to the display, but OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei insists the notch will give more real estate to the user.

“Learn to love the notch.”

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Conversation 37 comments

  • CaedenV

    28 March, 2018 - 8:48 am

    <p>Have a OnePlus 3, was looking at upgrading to the 6… nope.</p><p>no curved front screen, no notch, but I need a good camera and a headphone jack. These seem like reasonable requests…. but the pickings are slim.</p>

    • Eric Dunbar

      28 March, 2018 - 12:35 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#257160"><em>In reply to CaedenV:</em></a></blockquote><p>And people insisted they couldn't live without floppy drives. Then they couldn't do without CD-ROMs. And who could forget physical keyboards on a mobile device. There's no way any company would be stupid enough to release a phone without a keyboard. There's no way such a phone would sell!</p><p><br></p><p>I haven't seen a floppy disk in years. The only devices with CD-ROMs are refurb computers dating back to the late 2000's.</p><p><br></p><p>Head phone jack? I've had my Android phone with a headphone jack for three months now. I don't even know if it works!</p><p><br></p><p>The only thing that's constant on the world of technology is change!</p>

      • RonH

        Premium Member
        28 March, 2018 - 12:41 pm

        <blockquote><a href="#257224"><em>In reply to OntarioPundit:</em></a></blockquote><p>My car has Bluetooth but only for Phone calls. I need the headphone jack for music.</p>

        • SvenJ

          28 March, 2018 - 7:07 pm

          <blockquote><a href="#257226"><em>In reply to RonH:</em></a> They have yet to make a phone that doesn't allow a physical headphone option. You need an adapter (aka dongle), or the right cable.</blockquote><p><br></p>

          • RonH

            Premium Member
            05 April, 2018 - 12:07 am

            <blockquote><a href="#257316"><em>In reply to SvenJ:</em></a></blockquote><p>Agreed, but it is easier with a headset jack and the USB separate</p>

      • RobertJasiek

        28 March, 2018 - 2:29 pm

        <blockquote><a href="#257224"><em>In reply to OntarioPundit:</em></a></blockquote><p>What are you trying to say? Living without this is easy: do not buy it. I live without notch by not buying it.</p><p>Are you saying that we should live with notch? Rather I never buy any smartphone. FYI, I can: I have not bought any so far. I would have use for some but with notch I want none. The notch is just another reason (besides OS insecurity, glare display, often unreplacable battery, often missing repairability, missing audio port, often camera bump, possibly bent display, often unnecessarily short battery life, possibly flickering etc.) for me to further delay buying my first smartphone.</p><p>I cannot live WITH a notch. It is a constant insult.</p>

        • pecosbob04

          29 March, 2018 - 6:06 pm

          <blockquote><a href="#257254"><em>In reply to RobertJasiek:</em></a></blockquote><p>Definitely "First World" problems!</p>

  • dkrat

    28 March, 2018 - 8:51 am

    <p>I hate the notch with a passion. If I am forced to get one because it becomes the market standard, I will never be able to unsee it, like a minor error you made in a DIY remodel. </p>

    • Eric Dunbar

      28 March, 2018 - 12:40 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#257161"><em>In reply to dkrat:</em></a></blockquote><p>Only the cheap phones won't have the notch. </p><p><br></p><p>Same as head phone jacks.</p><p><br></p><p>Or FM radios. I've only ever seen them on budget phones.</p><p><br></p><p>I like FM radio feature but it's not going to stop me from buying a phone that otherwise does what I want it to like take pictures, send text messages and run apps. Oh, yeah, and make phone calls once in a very blue moon.</p>

      • SvenJ

        28 March, 2018 - 7:02 pm

        <blockquote><a href="#257225"><em>In reply to OntarioPundit:</em></a> All the Lumia's, even the 950/XL, had FM radios. MS (irrationally) deleted their FM app in later builds, but you could (can) get tuner apps in the store. The store apps actually tended to have more features, but MSs worked, was pretty bulletproof and came installed OOB.</blockquote><p><br></p>

  • RobertJasiek

    28 March, 2018 - 8:56 am

    <p>Never.</p>

  • RonH

    Premium Member
    28 March, 2018 - 8:56 am

    <p>Lemmings. </p><p>No notches. No curved screens</p>

    • digiguy

      Premium Member
      28 March, 2018 - 8:58 am

      <blockquote><a href="#257163"><em>In reply to RonH:</em></a></blockquote><p>Same here. Galaxy S7 still working great. And no "no headphone jacks"</p>

  • iPhoneX

    28 March, 2018 - 9:10 am

    <p>Love the notch or not, it seems Apple has once again created a new paradigm – particularly in regards to the home button replacement gesture.</p>

  • shanahben

    28 March, 2018 - 9:27 am

    <p><em>“From Xiamoi to Huawei, almost all Android phone makers are embracing the notch”</em></p><p><br></p><p>It's Xiaomi, not Xiamoi, and they don't have a phone with a notch because they're not stupid like that.</p>

  • Bats

    28 March, 2018 - 11:11 am

    <p>I really don't understand why people are so against the notch. LOL…I don't think it's a big deal at all. That notch area could be black bezel, but it's not. Movies, videos, images can be adjusted to ignore the top and bottom level of the screen to negate any visual hinderance by the notch.&nbsp;</p><p>In that top part of the screen, since it's no longer "bezel", we could probably see animated notifications since that area would be dynamic.</p>

    • Eric Dunbar

      28 March, 2018 - 12:42 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#257188"><em>In reply to Bats:</em></a></blockquote><p>I must confess that it looks a little funny but I'm sure I'd get past that if it meant having a blazingly fast device.</p>

    • SvenJ

      28 March, 2018 - 6:58 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#257188"><em>In reply to Bats:</em></a> Actually we do see 'animated' notifications up there in what used to bezel. My battery icon is up there, signal bars, time, other notifications. The 'notch' allows Apple to make use of an area that previously was just bezel. The fact that apps try to use that space as if it extended all the way across in full screen is unfortunate. That could be fixed…in software.</blockquote><p><br></p>

  • pwrof3

    28 March, 2018 - 12:11 pm

    <p>I always find it entertaining that everyone mocks Apple for doing certain things like removing a headphone jack or creating a hideous notch, and then all the me-too Android phones who want to cut into iPhone sales do the same exact thing. They're just banking on the grandma not realizing she bought a Huawei instead of an iPhone. </p>

  • AlexKven

    28 March, 2018 - 12:32 pm

    <p>Are we really too obsessed with the notch to ask what the price of the phone is? Yeah the notch is stupid, but all the headlines are dominated by "oohh, it's a notch!" and I see literally nothing about a price.</p>

  • Daekar

    28 March, 2018 - 12:45 pm

    <p>So… let's be honest here. The notch is undesirable. It indisputably interferes with the functionality of the screen, which is the primary interface with the device. Therefore, the presence of a notch is a compromise, and engineering choice made during design because other goals couldn't be achieved without it. The notch isn't a virtue in and of itself. If Apple COULD have done without a notch, they WOULD have.</p><p><br></p><p>"Learn to love the notch," my skinny behind. That's like saying, "learn to love CO2 emissions." </p>

    • truerock

      28 March, 2018 - 5:29 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#257228"><em>In reply to Daekar:</em></a></blockquote><p>I've had significant training in human interface design. </p><p>I disagree with your assertion.&nbsp;</p><p>Maybe you would be interested in this:</p><p><br></p><p>developer.apple.com/ios/human-interface-guidelines/overview/iphone-x</p><blockquote><br></blockquote><p><br></p>

      • boots

        28 March, 2018 - 11:34 pm

        <blockquote><a href="#257290"><em>In reply to truerock:</em></a></blockquote><p>If you have had significant training in human interface design, then don't just give a link to some Apple marketing spin, tell us in your own words one reason why the notch is a benefit rather than just a compromise.</p>

        • truerock

          29 March, 2018 - 3:27 pm

          <blockquote><a href="#257363"><em>In reply to Boots:</em></a></blockquote><p>Boots,</p><p><br></p><p>It isn't a marketing web site. It's a technical website for iOS GUI developers. Reading the information would help someone understand the logic behind Apples GUI design.</p><p><br></p><p>I know this is an opinion – but, the basic idea of the iPhone X screen layout is at a minimum intriguing. I don't think other smart phone manufacturers are copying the idea to look like iPhone X. I think the iPhone X approach is being copied because it is a workable design.</p><p><br></p><p>I think reading the GUI design specs is a better way to understand this issue – but, I suppose to me why it works is because it is efficient in using the same area for 2 different things: The status bar and the camera/speaker area. It is efficient.</p><p><br></p><p>If I was trying to think of something to criticize – I would suggest that the "notch" is too large. To my thinking, the iPhone bezels have always been too large for my personal preference.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p>

          • boots

            30 March, 2018 - 7:03 pm

            <blockquote><a href="#257538"><em>In reply to truerock:</em></a></blockquote><p>I agree that having the notch and status bar use the same space is more space efficient than having a full width bezel with the status bar below. The way the apps try to use the space beside the notch is less efficient though. In Daekar's original comment he/she was saying that the notch is only there because they needed room for the camera system. And that if they could have made the phone with a true full screen, then they would have done that.</p>

  • Mr_MDavis

    28 March, 2018 - 1:22 pm

    <p>This only shows how competitive the mobile phone market is; with every cell phone manufacturer trying to make their phone a “notch above” the others.</p><p><img draggable="false" class="emoji" alt="?" src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/2.4/svg/1f609.svg"></p&gt;

  • randallcorn

    Premium Member
    28 March, 2018 - 2:29 pm

    <p>The thing about Apple is no matter what the do everyone will buy it. Well hell, they are Apple!</p><p>Now they do a lot of good things but no matter if they sell crap on a stick everyone will buy it. </p>

  • BravoCharlie

    28 March, 2018 - 3:49 pm

    <p>This is Idiocracy IRL. If Apple one day declare that plants need electrolytes, society is doomed.</p>

  • nickysreensaver

    Premium Member
    28 March, 2018 - 6:51 pm

    <p>This shows you a lot of these Asian manufacturers can’t innovate. Trump is right. The theft of intellectual properties are staggering and must stop. In fact, a while back on of the Asian manufacturers would have a key note for product introduction and what did he wear….. black turtleneck and blue jeans. Ahemmm. So blatant. </p>

    • charms55

      28 March, 2018 - 8:15 pm

      <blockquote><em>Why do you consider the notch to be innovative? In most Android phones we tend to place the search at the top. This means the silly corners on each side end up being worthless. My guess is it will not be long before a company announces they are getting rid of the notch. In</em><a href="#257310"><em> reply to nickysreensaver:</em></a></blockquote><p><br></p>

  • SvenJ

    28 March, 2018 - 6:52 pm

    <p>Not sure why we call it a notch. We didn't cut a notch out of what used to be usable screen, we extended screen up into what used to be unusable 'forehead'. There are clearly things that need to be supported at the top of the phone, camera, speaker, proximity sensor, at least, then IR cameras, projectors, if that is included. Apple chose to extend the screen at either side of the hardware and put the usual informational icons up there, time, battery, service bars, in an area that formerly was just wasted. </p><p>What happens with applications that use the full screen, including the wings, is unfortunate, but a new thing. They could just continue to use that space for informational icons, or black it out to avoid distractions. The reality though, I have more usable screen real estate with the 'wings', than I would have, had the 'forehead' remained. </p><p>Yes I notice the notch, but what I notice is my information icons are not taking up the first 1/8" of the top of my screen.</p>

  • mrdrwest

    28 March, 2018 - 7:41 pm

    <p>Let's replace the 'notch' nomenclature with 'ocular mask'</p>

  • charms55

    28 March, 2018 - 8:10 pm

    <p>Folks. The bezels are our friends. What possible good is having the space on either side of the notch compared to having the room for a decent front firing speaker, camera, sensors, notifications? Curse you, Apple.</p>

  • John Craig

    29 March, 2018 - 5:02 am

    <p>Yippee, a notch. Woop woop, bleeding edge technology, phone manufacturers are a really innovative bunch of geniuses with awesome ideas. Ooooh, a notch, faaaaaantastic!!!</p><p><br></p><p>God help us :(</p>

  • jpr75

    29 March, 2018 - 6:40 am

    <p>I have a Google Pixel 2 – Please Google, tell me your next Pixel will not have the dumb notch. Hopefully by the time the Pixel 3 comes out, the notch fad will be over. What a bunch a pathetic sheep these companies are. </p>

  • scd147

    Premium Member
    29 March, 2018 - 11:52 am

    <p>Nope. Which kind of sucks because the 3T has been mostly great except for missing some AT&amp;T bands. My wife's Moto G 3rd gen and her new 5th gen both hang on to AT&amp;T signals longer than my 3T ever seems to. However, since the Oneplus 5 it seems they've been adding new bands, so I was planning on a new Oneplus one day. </p>

  • curtisspendlove

    29 March, 2018 - 8:24 pm

    <p>Is there such thing as a polite chuckle? :)</p>

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