There’s No Reason To Copy The iPhone X Notch, But Android Smartphone Makers Are Doing It Anyway

Oppo F7

The Oppo F7 has the same problem, slapping a notch on to the device’s forehead without any forethought to whether that would actually help in any way. Of course the interface hasn’t been redesigned, so you still have a Home, Back, and Menu button. And of course, because Oppo wants to keep the bezels as narrow as possible, those are soft buttons at the bottom of the display. In essence, that 6.2-inch display is losing about half an inch where the menu buttons are, as well as having the equivalent of a giant forehead pimple.

Vivo V9

Vivo’s flagship meanwhile might be the least offensive use of the notch, even if they do go to the extent of even using the same wallpaper as the iPhone X for their promo images. In addition, I just can’t shake the feeling Vivo got bored of imitating the iPhone X on the front and instead switched to a more Samsung Galaxy feel in the back (aside from the rear camera).

OnePlus 6

OnePlus is also implementing the notch on their latest device, the OnePlus 6, but at least they’ve taken it upon themselves to test the top 1,000 apps on the Google Play Store for their compatibility with it. It’s also making efforts to disguise the notch in video playback and shift their notification icons accordingly.

Huawei P20

The Huawei P20 and P20 Pro meanwhile at least go the distance with their imitation, copying both the front of the iPhone X with the notch, and the rear with its camera orientation. Oh yeah, except the part where they left the hard home button on the front for some reason. Because to hell with logic and sensible design aesthetics right? Let’s all just use eyebrow pencils to give ourselves unibrows and pretend we’re cosplaying the iPhone X, because they know what style is.

Xiaomi Mi 7

Even Xiaomi is expected to jump on the notch bandwagon with the upcoming Mi 7. Leaked images indicate it’ll look very similar to the Oppo F7, most likely with the same software buttons at the bottom. At the end of the day, it looks like we’re stuck with the notch. Not because it makes sense efficiency-wise, like the USB Type-C, but because that’s what Android smartphone brands think it’s what people want.

So let’s make one thing clear guys. If you can make your own version of FaceID work just as efficiently, if you can change your user interface to get rid of the soft buttons, then go with the notch. We can deal with how weird it is. But honestly if you’re just copying a “feature” because it seems like the new “it” thing, please don’t. That’s like wearing only lingerie to work. It serves a purpose within a limited set of circumstances (ie the bedroom, a sexual partner, and time to get naughty) but it’s far from a universally applicable outfit.