It’s Time to Discuss the Notch. Again (Premium)

I've described the notch in Apple's iPhone X as "a ridiculous and unnecessary compromise." And I've opined that nothing says as much about the lack of imagination and innovation in the smartphone space as the fact that every Android phone maker on the planet seems to be tripping over each other to copy it.

I've also noted, repeatedly, that I prefer the small-bezel approach taken by today's Android smartphones. As seen on devices like the Samsung Galaxy S9/S9+, Google Pixel 2 XL, OnePlus 5T, and many, many others.

And yet. That copying is still happening. And in perhaps the worst blow so far, OnePlus revealed recently that it, too, would include a notch on its next flagship, the OnePlus 6. This is a tough one for me: I feel that OnePlus has carved a unique path for itself in which it is taking up the "flagship features at mid-market prices" mantle that Google once owned with the Nexus 5, 5X, and 6P (and has abandoned for its overpriced Pixel phones).

But there is a dark side to OnePlus as well, depending on whom you ask. The firm is often criticized for copying the designs of other leading flagships. For example, many complained that the OnePlus 5 looked a bit too much like the then-current iPhone 7. And the OnePlus 5T, which is one of my favorite smartphones, and an incredible value, likewise adopted the tall 18.5:9-ish display aspect ratio from other flagships, another example of "copying." Is OnePlus just doing the same thing all over again by adopting a trendy new design quirk?

The company says it is not doing so.

In an interview, OnePlus CEO Carl Pei said that using a notch actually provides more content on the screen. The argument is that OnePlus isn't "copying" the iPhone X---notches appeared on Android phones first, anyway---but that it is instead improving on this type of design.

And I can't believe I'm about to write this. But I think he's right.

Today's modern smartphone designs share a number of similarities, including that tall display aspect ratio I already noted with almost unnoticeable bezels, especially on the sides. But there needs to be room for cameras, sensors, and a speaker on the top, and a speaker and various ports on the bottom. So most Android flagships today feature a minimal bezel on both the top and bottom.

For a notch to make more sense than a near bezel-less display, it needs a few important attributes.

First, it must be formally supported by the system. Otherwise, status bar items will visually fall "under" the notch. Apple obviously modified iOS to accommodate the iPhone X notch, and Google has already announced that it will do so for Android in the next release.

Second, software developers need to likewise accommodate the notch in their apps. Here, Apple will likely retain a lead for some time, because iOS developers tend to move more quickly to take advantage of unique iPhone/iPad functionality than is the case on the Android.

Third, the handset design must otherwise by tr...