The Notch - Why is it trending ?

The year 2017 witnessed some trends which were very new but also saw something that isn't necessarily inspiring or innovating i.e the notch. The trends like newer aspect ratio for displays, face unlock, demonstration of the on-screen fingerprint sensor, etc. are a result of positive outcome however the notch is the result of forced design change. Well, you may be an Apple fanboy or probably like the iPhone X which even I do considering the overall quality, however while looking at the inspiration that other brands gain from Apple's stupidity (#headphone jack) we need to talk about this.
Spoiler alert - you may find it as a rant.

Essential Phone

Digging back to 2017 itself, Andy Rubin's Essential phone was the first device to house a mini notch consisting of the camera as against Apple where many claim that it was the first device to have the revolutionary notch. The Essential Phone did have minimum bezels and the notch was quite minimal in size such that it would stand out as a design element. Similarly Apple also made use of the notch for their 10th anniversary device which unfortunately many other Android OEMs started imitating. The Asus Zenfone 5, unannounced LG G7, expected OnePlus 6, etc. have designs which contain a notch. The notch is quite unwanted since we have seen better implementations of achieving bezel less designs like Samsung Galaxy S8/S9, Note 8, Mi Mix 2, and even the Vivo Apex which is a prototype.

Now, coming to the trend. We have been experiencing such conditions where Android OEMs blindly copy stuff from Apple. The omission of 3.5mm headphone jack which Apple ditched with the iPhone 7 was followed by big brands like HTC, RAZER, Motorola, Google (with Pixel 2/2 XL), Xiaomi Mi6, etc. This lead the access to just one port for both charging and connecting the headphones via USB type-C to 3.5 mm jack. Ultimately, the jack had to be made available through some or the other means. For some the main aim of omission was to pave way for more space or rather better space management thereby a small increase in battery capacity. Fine! This may be feasible for some users considering a better battery life is always a plus point but what about the notch.

Apple iPhone X

In Apple's case the notch houses the front facing camera, sensors, earpiece and face ID related 3D projection sensors. The size of this notch is quite huge considering the space that it occupies at the top leaving 2 ends with minimal bezels for the notification drawer and the control panel. They also couldn't figure out the placement of the fingerprint sensor since they completely eliminated bezels at the bottom and the rear positioning was probably not in their favour. Luckily ! The omission of fingerprint sensor didn't become a trend till now as many Android OEMs did find better implementations.

The need to release the 10th anniversary special edition device within the specified time frame was important however the lack of getting a breakthrough in the design segment lead to this notch and omission of fingerprint sensor disaster. This disaster was overlooked many times with face ID gaining importance which again Apple was not the first to use it. Previously many other devices including those from Samsung did have it although it was not that accurate coupled with being slow and same is the case with Apple's Face ID which an identical twin can easily bypass it. This face unlock has taken a lift in no time and again many manufacturers are using it in their devices including budget devices like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro. Fun fact is that even Google with the Android P developers preview has added a function for replicating a notch at the top of the screen for developers to develop their apps. This actually shows how influential Apple can be.

From these factual trends it is clear that most Android OEMs are heavily inspired from Apple. The bitter truth is that many people including those who may not be tech savvy actually have decent knowledge about Apple products since it is a premium brand. They are the ones who would like to own an Apple iPhone however due to budget constraints and other stuff will prefer any lookalike as in the case of Vivo/Oppo or any other brand whose designs are heavily inspired. I may be harsh here yet the ultimate truth cannot be hidden. This is one reason for brands to blindly copy stuff because their ultimate aim is profits let alone innovation. The story of fingerprint sensor is also similar where after the iPhone 5S it started becoming a necessity which is indeed a great thing. When brands copy stuff which benefit the end user then its highly appreciated until and unless it doesn't breach any agreement or any patent.

Anyways, if we arrange a debate we will come up with endless points out of which many will be pointless (sorry for the pun :-P) however on a serious note is the NOTCH WORTHY ENOUGH TO GET INTO THE TREND ? Well you probably have already guessed our answer yet we would like to know about your thoughts. Do share them in the comments.

Image source : Apple, Essential