Ready or Notch

With the introduction of the G7 ThinQ, LG has officially embraced the notch, joining companies such as ASUS, Huawei, Essential, and Apple. I cannot imagine that anyone in the world today is not aware of the notch discussion, but for those that need a refresher, let me explain.

Last year, Essential released the PH-1 (commonly called Essential Phone) that had its camera housing jutting down into the screen with screen wrapping around both edges of the housing; this allowed an increase in screen-to-body ratio. Now, nothing against Essential as they may have been "the first", but Apple's iPhone X released later in the year with a wide notch popularized the trend. For the X, Apple wrapped the screen around the outside of a notch containing some of the most powerful sensors creating the popular "horns" look; with some advanced screen technology at the bottom, Apple was able to make a near edge-to-edge display.

Since that time, many manufacturers in the realm of Android have created similar looking phones as their flagships such as the Zenphone, P20 Pro, and now G7 ThinQ. While each phone has had different designs, form-factors, and UIs, each phone has had one major thing in common: the notch. With major players such as these as well as many of the mid-range players taking the notch road, Google has even baked notch support in to the forthcoming Android P operating system. This has caused many to wonder if the Pixel 3 will in fact feature the popular, yet controversial notch.

Now, is everyone embracing the notch life? Not quite. As of right now, there are still two significant holdouts: Samsung and Google. Since the release of the iPhone X, Samsung has also announced new devices with release of the flagship Galaxy S9 which features slim bevels in lieu of the notch. (Please spare me the discussion of "the S9 was already in development along with the X so they wouldn't have known about the notch." Trust me, they would have known if they wanted to.). Also, the Pixel 2 by Google features a forehead and chin (slim for the XL, massive for the regular), but it remains to be seen if that will still be accurate with the release of the Pixel 3.

If the notch is becoming standard, where is all the hate coming from? Well, there are multiple reasons, but the one that sticks with me is purely aesthetics. I love the balance that both the S9 and my Pixel 2 XL have from top bezel to bottom. For someone with OCD, or someone that just craves symmetry, the balance of bezels is magnificent. If all notched phones allowed users to blackout the notch like the P20 Pro does, I would probably not be bothered too much by the notch. Unfortunately, the notch also causes a problem for full screen as not all apps are optimized for notches yet. With apps like Netflix and YouTube using full screen videos, a chunk of video is cut out on the side; it may not be substantial, but it can affect usability and experience.

The notch may be the future, at least until cameras can be housed under the display, but it is currently one of the most heated debates in the technology realm today (along with the correct pronunciation of GIF). Does it give slightly more screen real estate? Of course. Does it make the phone look unbalanced (if they have a huge chin)? Absolutely. But, is it ugly, intrusive, and a deal breaker? That is the question, and the answer depends solely on the user. However, love it or not, the notch is here, and it seems to be taking over the top bezel.

*Update: Incorrectly stated LG G7 ThinQ could blackout bar to hide notch. While the phone is equipped with feature, the G7 uses an LCD screen as opposed to LED so true black will not be achievable. Notch will not be entirely hidden unlike P20 Pro that uses LED screen.