OnePlus 6 (and Notches in general)

[ryno9100]

https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/28/17152840/oneplus-6-notch-size-android-flagship

So, OnePlus has come out and said the phone will have a notch. People are freaking out over this (just read the comments on the verge's article). I think they're way overreacting to this. There is a very easy solution to notches that LG has already implemented.

1.) Have an OLED screen (most modern phones do).
2.) Make the screen on either side of the notch black.
3.) Keep your status bar icons in that black out section

Boom. Easy solution. Now you don't have the "ugly" notch, but instead you have the same bezel you would've had without the notch, but now it houses your status bar, too!

Here's a picture:

I'm curious what you guys think.

 

[ChronoReverse]

That's probably what Android P will do.

 

[NamelessPFG]

This all hinges on software implementation.

If you think about it, the LG V20 has a contiguous screen with a notched-out corner for the front camera, but the shorter-width area next to the camera is treated as a second screen, separate from the main display beneath. I don't have a problem with this.

Where I do have a problem is with how the iPhone X did it: media extends past the notch and into what should be the notification areas flanking it. That just looks completely stupid and unsightly, even moreso than the recent trend of rounding off screen corners like every smartphone wants to be an old Macintosh again.

I'm guessing Android P's touted support for screen notches will make it so that only the area below the notch will count as screen space for applications, even "full-screen" ones, with everything above acting as a split notification bar.

Also, this makes the OnePlus 6 look like it has a relatively shallow notch, sorta like the iPhone X (which is wide, but shallow). The Essential PH-1 has a deep notch, and that just looks really ugly to me.

 

[Tup3x]

Huawei gives option to disable the notch too and use that area just for the notifications. I'd probably use it like that and it would actually be rather handy that way.

 

[CHANG3D]

The issue with many of these Android phones with the notches is that there is still a "large" bottom bezel if not also top bezel. So what is the point? The reason Apple did it is to have an all screen design with a symmetrical thin bezel all around. It feels like many Android oems added the notch just cause Apple has a notch.

 

[ryno9100]

The issue with many of these Android phones with the notches is that there is still a "large" bottom bezel if not also top bezel. So what is the point? The reason Apple did it is to have an all screen design with a symmetrical thin bezel all around. It feels like many Android oems added the notch just cause Apple has a notch.

Recent photos of the OnePlus 6 have leaked that show it having a fairly small bottom bezel. People will still complain that there's a "chin" on the phone, but if OP goes the way of Huawei and blacks out the top notch to make it look like a bezel with a notification bar, then the bezels will mostly line-up.

 

[Zorachus]

Stop with the notch, it's not needed. The S8/S9 get by fine without one. The LG V30 has very minimal bezels and doesn't need a notch. I'd much rather have a little bit of a top bezel to avoid the notch.

And it speaks loudly of copying Apple, if there was no iPhone X released last year, and we never knew or seen pics of a "notch" iPhone, would all these Android manufacturers come up with a notch all on their own ? I highly doubt it, they'd just copy Samsung and their S line instead, with no notch.

But I will say the Essential Phone, doesn't look too bad with it's notch, I like how the screen still goes over it, and it's more of a hole in the top, and there's a little bit of screen going over it. For some reason that doesn't look like a big "notch" or gap in the phone, it seems more fluid, and not as noticeable.

 

[ChronoReverse]

The Essential was first with the notch and you can see how the tradeoffs were different from the subsequent iPhone X. It's clear that for both these phones, their notches were a solution to a design problem (the success and elegance of the solution is up for debate but beside the point).

However, the notch trend of 2018 though is clearly Apple Aping.

 

[Aurelius]

Stop with the notch, it's not needed. The S8/S9 get by fine without one. The LG V30 has very minimal bezels and doesn't need a notch. I'd much rather have a little bit of a top bezel to avoid the notch.

And it speaks loudly of copying Apple, if there was no iPhone X released last year, and we never knew or seen pics of a "notch" iPhone, would all these Android manufacturers come up with a notch all on their own ? I highly doubt it, they'd just copy Samsung and their S line instead, with no notch.

But I will say the Essential Phone, doesn't look too bad with it's notch, I like how the screen still goes over it, and it's more of a hole in the top, and there's a little bit of screen going over it. For some reason that doesn't look like a big "notch" or gap in the phone, it seems more fluid, and not as noticeable.

My beef isn't that there's a notch in the first place (sometimes it's fine, sometimes it's waste), it's what you say later on -- that Android OEMs feel compelled to copy Apple, necessity be damned. Apple can at least point to its depth camera tech, but ASUS, Huawei, OnePlus and the like don't have that excuse. And people wonder why Apple fans tend to get defensive... they've had to put up with this sort of thing for 11 years.

 

[ChronoReverse]

And people wonder why Apple fans tend to get defensive... they've had to put up with this sort of thing for 11 years.

To be fair, it's pretty mutual. Apple fans also sometimes tout things that were invented on Android long ago too.

I 100% agree about aping the notch for the sake of aping the iPhone X

 

[radeon962]

Looks OK to me. Iphone X from the front and S9+ from the back

 

[ryno9100]

Looks OK to me. Iphone X from the front and S9+ from the back

View attachment 66465

I'm skeptical of those images for 2 reasons:

1.) Case manufacturers tend to photoshop phones to make their cases look good.
2.) There's no visible cut-out for the headphone jack, which OP has confirmed will be on the OP6.

My guess is that the bottom bezel will be larger than these pictures show.

 

[criccio]

I'm in the camp that could care less about the notch as long as I get the smallest bezels possible. I've watched MKBHD's video on ways to currently do no bezels with no notch and I don't like the tradeoffs. Maybe the next few generations will be able to do a better job but right now, if you want a front facing camera, light and proximity sensors and proper earpieces, you need the notch.

Whatever.

I love my OnePlus5 and am absolutely upgrading to the OnePlus6.

For those interested:

 

[UnknownSouljer]

I'm in the camp that could care less about the notch as long as I get the smallest bezels possible. I've watched MKBHD's video on ways to currently do no bezels with no notch and I don't like the tradeoffs. Maybe the next few generations will be able to do a better job but right now, if you want a front facing camera, light and proximity sensors and proper earpieces, you need the notch.

Whatever.

I love my OnePlus5 and am absolutely upgrading to the OnePlus6.

For those interested:

Pretty much this. I watched the same vid earlier. People on the [H] just are waaaay too emotional about the physical appearance of their phones. Just super against notches or whatever, and it just sort of is what it is. In actual usage, it affects nothing at all.
I'd get a phone based upon all other criteria long before I decided I would or wouldn't buy something based on a notch.

 

[Ripskin]

Pretty much this. I watched the same vid earlier. People on the [H] just are waaaay too emotional about the physical appearance of their phones. Just super against notches or whatever, and it just sort of is what it is. In actual usage, it affects nothing at all.
I'd get a phone based upon all other criteria long before I decided I would or wouldn't buy something based on a notch.

I dont mind the notch, but not at the trade off of increased price and I loath glass phones. If the notch was always locked into displaying the info that is up there than for movies and games it would be great for me. I dont find it appealing but it is not a deal breaker for me.

 

[Crowbar]

Essential ph1 implementation of the notch was best, IMO.

Anyway, Vivo Nex S or Oppo Find X is evolution, hope manufacturers will implement front camera under the screen someday, same as with fingerprint.