Eyeing a new high-end Android? It might look rather like an iPhone X. The latest Apple smartphone has a notch in the top of the display, so now every other phone has one too — whether they need one or not.
Support for the "notch" has even been added to Android P, which hit preview last week, though Google is calling it "display cutout support". Between the Android P preview, the iPhone X mimicry, and what was announced at Mobile World Congress (MWC) last month, here's what your next Android will look like — whether you want it to or not.
Android gets the notch
When the notch was first revealed, it was reviled. Initially mocked as "an odd design choice", "botched" and "devil horns", it's now seen as a smart move to give the iPhone X an edge-to-edge display while maintaining room for the front-facing camera, dot projector and other gubbins that power the Face ID authentication, as well as the speaker and microphone.
Some phones are copying the iPhone X, including the notch for aesthetic purposes when there's plenty of room on the bezel for components — we're looking at you, Asus ZenPhone 5 and LG G7 and the leaked Huawei P20 lineup. Others are using the notch in the same way as Apple, making it a smart design decision that solves a problem rather than mere mimickary. That includes the upcoming OnePlus 6 and OPPO F7, while the Essential and Sharp Aquos S2 both featured a smaller notch before the arrival of the iPhone X.
Not all smartphone makers are opting for the "devil horns", however. Instead, the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Google Pixel 2 have opted for "the stripe", a single bexel-bar along one side that serves the same function; the former has a screen-to-body ratio of 84 per cent, topping even the iPhone X by two points, suggesting the notch isn't the only compromise to maximise screen space. "Consumers aren’t asking for notches, they want edge-to-edge displays," says Patrick Moorhead, an analyst at Moore Insights & Strategy. "There’s only two ways to do this kind of display — notch or small bezel. Apple does a notch and Samsung has small bezel… There’s only two ways to accomplish edge-to-edge displays and the notion others are copying seems a bit silly to me."
That said, the inclusion of "notch" support in Android P suggests Google is convinced more manufacturers will want to ape Apple than Samsung, so get used to the cutout.
credits:http://www.wired.co.uk
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