AppleInsider readers are split on the iPhone X notch, but most support Apple's decision to...

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in iPhone
It wasn't quite a landslide vote, but AppleInsider readers came down in favor of Apple's decision to highlight and not hide the so-called "notch" housing the camera, sensors and earpiece atop the iPhone X edge-to-edge display.




With 1,853 votes tallied on Twitter, AppleInsider's highly unscientific survey of 1,853 readers found that 57 percent of respondents think Apple is right to embrace the iPhone X notch.

Conversely, the remaining 43 percent of those polled would prefer that Apple hide the area atop the display. In fan-made mockups, this has been done with a black background matching the notch and the borders around the screen, obfuscating where the screen ends and the notch begins.

But Apple has chosen to highlight the notch in iOS 11, having user interface elements bleed up into the spaces to the left and right of the intrusion.

#iPhoneX notch poll.

-- AppleInsider (@appleinsider)


In fact, during Apple's iPhone X keynote, the company even showed full-screen videos played with maximum size, leaving part of the picture cut out by the notch. However, attendees who got a hands-on with the iPhone X afterwards -- including AppleInsider's own Daniel Eran Dilger -- were told that by default full-screen video will shrink down to avoid the notch.

It's clear Apple has gone out of its way to embrace, rather than hide, the protrusion into the display.

Though Apple's decision has been made, the discussion rages on. How would you prefer Apple handle the notch on the iPhone X?
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 66
    The Notch-heads against the boring old flatheads.


    doozydozen1983
  • Reply 2 of 66
    Allow me to fit/scale video, photos, and games and web browsing in landscape mode to the space outside of the notch without cutting out any of the content. Turn the ears full black in this mode... not white . ...or at least allow these to be set according to users preferance in the settings.
    waverboyspice-boylolliver
  • Reply 3 of 66
    I don't have OCD, so I'm fine with it.  :)
    doozydozenStrangeDayspscooter63chaickaredgeminipagregg thurmanjbdragonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 66
    RacerhomieXRacerhomieX Posts: 95unconfirmed, member
    The Notch will become the New iPhone Home Button. Instantly recognizable
    MetriacanthosaurusdoozydozenanantksundaramStrangeDayscreek0512pscooter631983chaickaredgeminipagregg thurman
  • Reply 5 of 66
    bb-15bb-15 Posts: 283member
    The notch allows for more screen real estate to be used for pull down areas with control center and notifications. 
    I support that. 
    - And videos can be viewed with black borders which hide the notch. 
    I don't see a downside here. 
    edited September 2017 Metriacanthosaurustechprod1gyStrangeDayscreek0512bloggerblogpscooter63chaickaredgeminipagregg thurmanjbdragon
  • Reply 6 of 66
    It's the new iconic look. It is visually jarring right now because it's new, and we're staring at it. Once you get the phone and start using it, it will all but disappear as part of regular usage.

    Edit: I also love dramatic change like this, the kinds of things some people just can't handle.
    edited September 2017 bb-15StrangeDaysbloggerblog1983redgeminipagregg thurmanwatto_cobraRacerhomieX
  • Reply 7 of 66
    I didn't vote via Twitter poll, but favor making use of as much of the available real estate - It won't take long for people to become used to the "visual" and the esthetics won't be an issue.
     
    There are numerous status indicators that can tuck into the space on each side of the notch - no sense letting this space go idle.  Don't know if the OS provides a way to toggle the display to allow users to scale the content when the notch is problematic and hiding wanted content.  My guess is this won't be a common problem, but wouldn't take much to provide a tool to resolve it when needed.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 66
    Since it's the decision Apple made, it must be the right one. If you held the poll the day before the keynote, the results would have vastly favored hiding the notch. It's truly awful.
  • Reply 9 of 66
    wood1208wood1208 Posts: 2,913member
    All phones(including Galaxy S8) on market have top and bottom black bars. Apple chose to use that extra corners for displaying some status. If don't like notch, one can exclude notch while displaying video in landscape mode. I like to see it can be set ON/OFF in Settings.
    redraider11redgeminipawatto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 66
    jd_in_sbjd_in_sb Posts: 1,600member
    DilirX said:
    The Notch will become the New iPhone Home Button. Instantly recognizable
    Exactly. With the notch nobody will mistake it for an Android 
    1983gregg thurmanwatto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 66
    If you don't like the Apple design nut job, go buy samsung note8, Samsung said the have pre-orders in a millions....hahaha
    jbdragonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 66
    LMFAO.  This phone kicks ass.  You don't like it don't buy it.  I am betting Apple will not have an issue selling it.  The extra screen is put to good use when needed and users who can't handle it can hide it for full screen uses...
    anantksundaramStrangeDayspscooter63Metriacanthosaurusjbdragonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 66
    According to John Gruber the default for video is to play letterbox and if you double tap it fills the screen.
    doozydozenjbdragon
  • Reply 14 of 66
    The notch is tiny and allows for more screen real estate. I'm fine with that. 

    Howrver, there MUST be a feature available to put a black bar where the notch is when watching landscape video or gaming. Otherwise, it's quite the horrendous drawback. 


  • Reply 15 of 66
     All phone makers are currently busting a blood vessel right now wondering how they can copy this and get away with it. Samsung will copy it with a more squared off shape then they will claim, 'you can't patent this it's obvious' it's the only way for it to be possible. Like they did with slide to unlock. It's obvious. Till Apple came up with the enigmatic 'press to unlock'. Doh!

    Here's my comment about the notch before release and I'm confident this will hold up in years to come...


    "You do not understand design, it would look ugly if they tried to permanently disguise it. As it is now the design is timeless, keeping in mind that there's no way not to have sensors on the front of the camera. Notice that cars had grills initially as a form follows function thing where they needed air flowing over the radiator. Then consumer cars embraced a clean no grill look when it became unnecessary. But notice how even though not needed any longer luxury car makers jealously guard their iconic grill designs. While not in this league, that is nevertheless how I perceive the notch. The 'notch and ears' will be Apple's equivalent of the famous car grills a good one of which is Bugatti, compare a 1930's Bugatti grill with the grill on their Veyron."


    redraider11StrangeDayspscooter63argonautwatto_cobra
  • Reply 16 of 66
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    It’s called honest design. I don’t think Gruber understands why Apple are so publicly embracing it. Apple Canvas, anyone? How he ever thought that was a good name for iPad.

    Over time as the tech evolves the notch will continue to shrink. Until display tech becomes sufficiently advanced and all of these functions are, dare I say “magically” present in display. Until a company can actually produce an under display camera and proximity sensor, for example, all the patents in the world saying so are meaningless.

    iPhone ex is the best Apple can do right now. It’s their state of the art. And no, I won’t pronounce it “ten”, and not because Gruber said so. But because getting me or the general populace to pronounce the X as “ten” will never happen. “MacBook One”, “iPhone ex”. I know what Roman numerals are. We see them all the time on film credits. No one cares. It’s an iPhone with a notch, not Lawrence of Arabia. Ain’t happening. Deal with it, Schiller.
    edited September 2017 StrangeDaysradarthekat
  • Reply 17 of 66
    jd_in_sb said:
    DilirX said:
    The Notch will become the New iPhone Home Button. Instantly recognizable
    Exactly. With the notch nobody will mistake it for an Android 
    What about the notch on the Essential Phone??
    Android was first to notch, but their notch is inferior to the supremacy of Apple's notch. 
    edited September 2017 watto_cobra
  • Reply 18 of 66
    I'm fine with the esthetics of the notch.  My only concern is where the icons for alarm, bluetooth, do not disturb, etc. will all go.  I hope they don't just disappear forever.

    redgeminipawatto_cobra
  • Reply 19 of 66
    It's the new iconic look. It is visually jarring right now because it's new, and we're staring at it. Once you get the phone and start using it, it will all but disappear as part of regular usage.

    Edit: I also love dramatic change like this, the kinds of things some people just can't handle.
    I appreciate Apple’s “Courage” here, knowing their decision will not be supported by everyone. This is the ultimate FUNCTION OVER FORM.

    Since beginning it has never been an issue. But because there is so little to criticise apart from the still unknown FaceID, people latch to the only obvious difference.
    edited September 2017 StrangeDaysradarthekatwatto_cobra
  • Reply 20 of 66
    ireland said:
    iPhone ex is the best Apple can do right now. It’s their state of the art. And no, I won’t pronounce it “iPhone ten”, and not because Gruber said so. But because getting me or the general populace to pronounce the X as “ten” will never happen. “MacBook One”, “iPhone ex”. I know what Roman numerals are. We see them all the time on film credits. No one cares. It’s an iPhone with a notch, not Lawrence of Arabia. Ain’t happening. Deal with it, Schiller.
    In the 60's when everyone was giving me the 'peace' sign, I thought it was a 'high five'.
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