Android P is supposed to add support for notches, so I assume software customization right now is an afterthought: They'll adapt to whatever Google gives them in the next couple months.
Yeah I would think this would cause issues with apps until they update for the notch. Is there a default "notch less" mode that only uses the lower part of the screen? and developers opt in to using the space adjacent to the notch?
I can also see all the different sized notches being a headache for app developers in the coming years.
Well, MWC is where you show off all your new hardware that's coming out... later in the year. So everyone has their notchified hardware, but they likely won't release them until Android P is available.
I guess I'm mostly thinking of apps that aren't well supported. If the developer doesn't notchify their app and someone opens it on their new notched phone a year from now I'm wondering how android P will handle that.
You swipe down from the right of the notch at the top to get control center.
Swiping down from the left of the notch at the top (or from the notch itself directly - yes it recognizes touch) you get your notifications/lock screen.
Kinda irrelevant to the discussion, but the 'swipe down from top right' for Control Center is pretty universally hated AFAICT. The best solution I've seen suggested is to make it part of the multitasking interface: you swipe up and right from the bottom to go to the previous app, CC should be swipe up and left.
I don't really see the problem with the iphone-like design, there are three conflicting design problems... People want things that aren't gargantuan to fit in their pocket, but they also want the largest possible screen. And they also want a high quality front facing camera. The camera has to go somewhere and if you put a big bezel at the top it looks like an old phone from two years ago.
But the problem with these notched screens on Android phones is that they’re purely cosmetic.....the cutouts at the top are self-evidently motivated by the desire to just look — not function, look — like an iPhone X.
The Verge's argument is that because they have a chin at the bottom, the notch is purely cosmetic since they didn't utilize the space at the bottom. I find this argument to be poor reasoning. Moving to a notch at the top seems like an inevitable future for most smartphones - we need an earpiece as well as front facing cameras and other sensors, either we at a top chin, or we notch. Those are the options. The notch just means we have additional usable screen space and creates a more full screen experience. By moving to a notch now it means that more android phones can start practicing for that future design, rather than pushing it off to avoid looking like they're copying apple (despite android doing it first with the essential phone). Eventually that chin at the bottom will be screen as well, but that won't be a change to usability like having the notch is. I think Asus is smart moving forward with this despite the strange publicity that they probably expected it would get (such as this article). This seems like less a design issue or an aspect of one company copying another, and more like just The Verge trying to write something that will generate clicks.
Yes, if anything, the notch seems like an obvious, but aesthetically questionable and therefore risky, move. Apple doing it, and people apparently liking it (...really?...) derisked it.
I agree. But time and time again, Apple does something risky, it catches on (or at least doesn't matter as much as people think), and their decision proliferates throughout the industry while commentators tweet sarcastic, oh-so-clever barbs about "courage".
(I am aware that Apple is not the only company that innovates or takes risks. But there does seem to be something unique about Apple that has caused them to draw such ire since seemingly forever.)
I do think Apple puts more thought and creative attention into their hardware design than anyone else, or at least that’s their image, and based on that, it’s easy to see how they have (in addition) become fashion trend-setters in the industry.
So even if a design or detail is bad (according to me, or you, or most people, like a bad movie), a lot of thought went into it, and probably a lot of people will copy it! :)
I'm not sure what in that quote isn't covered in the parent argument. Unless you are suggesting that Apple have never been guilty of following others popular design trends.
the notch (using the new asus phone that looks exactly like an iphone x as an example) is purely cosmetic? you mean they only have a camera inside it, so it should be a much smaller notch like the essential phone? I know a lot of the android phones don't have the iphone IR facemapping camera/tech on their front side, but they're not using the notch for some combination of front facing camera, light level sensor and earpiece speaker?
Yet again, Apple manages to make their decisions standards. Good on them, bad on others. Should've waited some time to see if users want that damn notch.
Edit: My only problem with this is that there is copying going on even without general/mass acceptance.
I mean I'd rather have the unused area on the sides of the sensors at the top be extra screen space than remain unused. Hell if you really want to not have a notch, just use a rom that fills the area with black.
The Android phone OEM's implementing the notch aren't really big players. When Samsung does it then it'll become the standard. And since the S9 already has a better screen to body ratio than the iPhone X I don't see them ever doing it.
The OnePlus 6 is rumored to have a notch almost like the Asus. By some measurements Oppo/OnePlus are now the 4th largest Android platform phone maker in the world.
A lot of the arguments complaining about the iphone's notch are missing two points:
1. The notch is necessary to house faceid sensors that no current android phone with a notch has
2. The notch isn't cutting into the screen, the ears of the notch are actually cutting into the bezel.
A lot of hate towards Apple (justified or not) has been towards their preference of form over functionality. It's ironic to see Android handset makers taking a functional compromise from the iphone X and making it a completely cosmetic feature.
Some non-screen area at the top of the phone is necessary for the proximity sensor, front facing camera, earpiece, and yes FaceID sensor. (Phones like the Mi Mix and Sharp Aquos Crystal tried to move such things to the bottom, but this was impractical) I don't see how having a FaceID sensor justifies the notch any more than the other components do. In fact, since the lack of FaceID sensor decreases the necessary width of the notch it makes even more sense to expand the screen up to the edge of the device.
This is especially ridiculous when you consider the Galaxy S9 has a screen to body ratio that exceeds that of the iPhone X. In the words of one of the most egregious iPhone X copycats - Asus:
Well, it’s quite simple. Some people will say it’s copying Apple, but we cannot get away from what users want. You have to follow the trends.
I'm going to guess those users don't reside in North America or Europe.
…also, regardless of who invented it, it seems like this design feature is unavoidable. If you want to kill the bezel but still want to have things like front-facing cameras, you're pretty much stuck with a notch.
The Essential phone and the iPhone's notch was not cosmetic it was a necessary compromise. These other phones mentioned in the article are doing for purely cosmetic reasons.
The parent of you wasn't confused; he was arguing that the reason for doing it is to have a thinner bezel, and that is a purely cosmetic reason. So, the iPhone and Essential notches are cosmetic.
I agree with him, I found the use of the term in the article to be bizarre. When he claimed the notches were "purely cosmetic" I read ahead, excited to read something silly; like that the notches didn't house anything, or they were actually just a piece of plastic extending over the screen.
Instead, his argument seemed to be, that if you have a notch, but otherwise design your phone differently from Apple, you're ripping off Apple and doing it for cosmetics. I'm pretty sure if they had gone ahead and done everything the same as the iPhone, he would have written a slightly different article, where he was just as annoyed.
Isn't that what I just said - that it wasn't cosmetic and it was a necessary compromise. If they wanted to maximize both functionality and screen size?
yes but isn't that what the asus phone is doing as well? they've trimmed the bezels by forcing the camera onto the screen surface. the ulefone looks to have a chin but was able to get rid of the head. the huawei device looks to be the most egregious chin but again, the top of the phone is pretty thin.
so seems like these phones are copying the design for having a thinner top bezel.
I don't feel that my S8 has any bezels worth worrying about. The iPhone X and its notch is a design monstrosity compared to the clean lines of Samsung's work.
I find the whole notch design an abomination which should just die and be put to rest: By adding a notch you effectively create a software bezel for renderable content; web site developers have to deal with this. You can't show fullscreen video without obstruction, etc etc. Horrid insanity.
Have you even used the iPhone X? Myself and every person I've talked to do not even notice the notch after a short period of use. And I was initially very skeptical of the notch too. A better mental model is that the iPhone has 2 additional 'ears' of usable screen.
Compare this to the S8 which not only has physical bezels on top and bottom, but also software status bar at the top and software home bar at the bottom cutting further into usable screen space.
Not to mention Apple have nailed the gesture based UX. It feels totally natural and is a pleasure to use. Whereas any time I have to use an android phone it feels clunky and poorly executed.
Call me a fanboy, whatever. But I have never found the same quality experience on an android phone that I get with my iPhone.
I've seen it a fair bit and the more I see it, the less I like it. I have also read the web design guidelines for how to avoid putting important content in the dead zones, and (AYFKM) is my one and only response.
The bottom bar is switchable on the S8, and the top one disappears when it needs to. The physical bezels are tiny, on the sides there are none; the S8+ is not lacking for (vertical) real estate.
The Essential Phone and iPhone X were both in development simultaneously, unlike the current situation where ASUS, for example, has been very clear that it is intentionally copying Apple.
>“Some people will say it’s copying Apple,” Asus’ global head of marketing Marcel Campos told The Verge, “but we cannot get away from what users want. You have to follow the trends.”
Any opinion of the iPhone's design decision should be reserved until you have had a chance to use the device for at least an hour.
It has become increasingly clear that the experience of the phone in-person and the experience of looking at product screenshots and marketing material are wildly different.
Anecdotally, every single people I know who has the iPhone X has indicated that they don't even notice that there's a notch after the first hour or so of owning the phone.
This is one of those things where Android folks made fun of the notch, to the extent that Samsung even made an ad making fun of it, and within a year, Android folks will have decided their notches are great, and in fact, better than Apple's notches for this reason or the other. (And of course, the "Essential did it first" thing has to crop up as well, even though they were likely developed without inspiration from each other at around the same time.)
Make fun of it right up until you copy it, is basically the industry standard now. Headphone jack going away was the same thing, pretty much.
As someone with large fingers, I despise this trend of removing/reducing the bezels --- making it harder to hold the phone without either blocking part of the screen with fingers or activating the touchscreen. The screen is plenty big enough already; another few mm is not going to make much difference either way.
Notching the display is merely another development in this trend, and what's worse is that it turns what usually is a reasonably standard LCD panel into an even more proprietary part with its associated manufacturing difficulties, since the dimensions of the notch then become another variable in the design.
(More ironically, web and UI design trends are going toward wider margins and blank space, almost as if to compensate.)
So the inter-company envy is coming back, like when iOS copied flat interface ideas from Windows Phone. I am wondering why we always end up with unified bland stuff instead of many possible variations so that everyone can choose what they like? It seems like nobody wants to take risks anymore. I remember time when every single app had completely different interface; these days everything looks alike. Even if it is more economical, one size doesn't fit all.
The moment I saw an iPhone X in a commercial for something else, the notch really clicked for me. The notch does so much more than just extend the screen a little bit more. It makes the phone instantly identifiable, which is a marketing technique that Apple has always been fantastic at. I was watching an ad for some unrelated thing/service and my mind went "Oh look. An iPhone X." It's interesting seeing that they may have started yet another design trend.
This reminds me an old jewish joke about chasidim.
A person visited a chassidic town and saw that all the chasidim when they entered the walked through doorways would dip their heads. He didn't understand why, perhaps it's a form of piety? So he asked them and was told "we do it, because 'the rebbe' does it". So intrigued, he asked the rebbe, why he does it. And he was told, "Can't you tell how tall I am? I'd bump by head otherwise".
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[ 2.3 ms ] story [ 137 ms ] threadI can also see all the different sized notches being a headache for app developers in the coming years.
The iPhone X's interface is more gesture based than ever before.
(I still swipe up for Control Center on the 6S)
Swiping down from the left of the notch at the top (or from the notch itself directly - yes it recognizes touch) you get your notifications/lock screen.
But the problem with these notched screens on Android phones is that they’re purely cosmetic.....the cutouts at the top are self-evidently motivated by the desire to just look — not function, look — like an iPhone X.
Is it ever not the case? The economic incentives drive institutions like The Verge to promulgate clickbait and sensationalized titles
(I am aware that Apple is not the only company that innovates or takes risks. But there does seem to be something unique about Apple that has caused them to draw such ire since seemingly forever.)
So even if a design or detail is bad (according to me, or you, or most people, like a bad movie), a lot of thought went into it, and probably a lot of people will copy it! :)
That someone would actually clone this, making the design somewhat more legitimate... Crikey!
Edit: My only problem with this is that there is copying going on even without general/mass acceptance.
1. The notch is necessary to house faceid sensors that no current android phone with a notch has
2. The notch isn't cutting into the screen, the ears of the notch are actually cutting into the bezel.
A lot of hate towards Apple (justified or not) has been towards their preference of form over functionality. It's ironic to see Android handset makers taking a functional compromise from the iphone X and making it a completely cosmetic feature.
Well, it’s quite simple. Some people will say it’s copying Apple, but we cannot get away from what users want. You have to follow the trends.
I'm going to guess those users don't reside in North America or Europe.
And they retain the headphone jacks as well, with a fairly decent DAC, so you can keep on using your high end wired headphones if you want.
https://www.essential.com/
…also, regardless of who invented it, it seems like this design feature is unavoidable. If you want to kill the bezel but still want to have things like front-facing cameras, you're pretty much stuck with a notch.
I agree with him, I found the use of the term in the article to be bizarre. When he claimed the notches were "purely cosmetic" I read ahead, excited to read something silly; like that the notches didn't house anything, or they were actually just a piece of plastic extending over the screen.
Instead, his argument seemed to be, that if you have a notch, but otherwise design your phone differently from Apple, you're ripping off Apple and doing it for cosmetics. I'm pretty sure if they had gone ahead and done everything the same as the iPhone, he would have written a slightly different article, where he was just as annoyed.
(BTW: Am I really getting downvotes for defending the design decisions of both an iPhone and an Android phone?)
so seems like these phones are copying the design for having a thinner top bezel.
(didn't downvote you.)
[1]Apparatus and method to maximize the display area of a mobile device: https://patents.google.com/patent/US9736383
I find the whole notch design an abomination which should just die and be put to rest: By adding a notch you effectively create a software bezel for renderable content; web site developers have to deal with this. You can't show fullscreen video without obstruction, etc etc. Horrid insanity.
Compare this to the S8 which not only has physical bezels on top and bottom, but also software status bar at the top and software home bar at the bottom cutting further into usable screen space.
Not to mention Apple have nailed the gesture based UX. It feels totally natural and is a pleasure to use. Whereas any time I have to use an android phone it feels clunky and poorly executed.
Call me a fanboy, whatever. But I have never found the same quality experience on an android phone that I get with my iPhone.
The bottom bar is switchable on the S8, and the top one disappears when it needs to. The physical bezels are tiny, on the sides there are none; the S8+ is not lacking for (vertical) real estate.
>“Some people will say it’s copying Apple,” Asus’ global head of marketing Marcel Campos told The Verge, “but we cannot get away from what users want. You have to follow the trends.”
https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2018/2/28/17062030/i...
It has become increasingly clear that the experience of the phone in-person and the experience of looking at product screenshots and marketing material are wildly different.
Anecdotally, every single people I know who has the iPhone X has indicated that they don't even notice that there's a notch after the first hour or so of owning the phone.
Make fun of it right up until you copy it, is basically the industry standard now. Headphone jack going away was the same thing, pretty much.
Except most manufacturers are still making phones with headphone jacks. Those who want to sell phones at least.
Even Apple has a headphone-jack option for those who has it as an absolute demand: The iPhone SE.
Notching the display is merely another development in this trend, and what's worse is that it turns what usually is a reasonably standard LCD panel into an even more proprietary part with its associated manufacturing difficulties, since the dimensions of the notch then become another variable in the design.
(More ironically, web and UI design trends are going toward wider margins and blank space, almost as if to compensate.)
A person visited a chassidic town and saw that all the chasidim when they entered the walked through doorways would dip their heads. He didn't understand why, perhaps it's a form of piety? So he asked them and was told "we do it, because 'the rebbe' does it". So intrigued, he asked the rebbe, why he does it. And he was told, "Can't you tell how tall I am? I'd bump by head otherwise".