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Android P to be designed with the iPhone X “notch” in mind

Anonymous sources indicate that Android P is designed with the expectation that future Android devices will look like the iPhone X.
By
February 12, 2018
iPhone X on a desk top
TL;DR
  • Anonymous sources leaked that the iPhone X and its “notch” are on the minds of Android developers.
  • Expecting that future Android devices will copy Apple, Android P will be designed around the notch.
  • Less unexpectedly, Google Assistant is also a prevalent part of Android P.

Anonymous sources with working knowledge of the next version of Android leaked some intel to Bloomberg regarding where some of their design inspiration is coming from. It looks like the iPhone X, specifically the infamous “notch” at the top of the display, is what the development team is focusing on the most.

The iPhone X notch caused a stir when Apple announced the device. Display technology hasn’t advanced enough to allow sensors and cameras to operate under the screen itself (under-glass fingerprint sensor technology is only now coming to light), so Apple was forced to put a notch of the usual smartphone bezel at the top of the display to accommodate. But now the notch is almost seen as a sort of branding; when you see that notch, you know it’s an iPhone X.

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Taking this into account, the developers behind Android P (internally codenamed “Pistachio Ice Cream,” but that will change for the official release) are designing Android to work with a similar kind of notch. That would suggest that Google is anticipating companies to embrace the notch and put it at the top of their own Android-powered devices.

The current look of Android has static information like the time, data connection status, battery level, etc., on the right side of the status bar, and fluctuating app notifications to the left. Since this setup has been in place for years, one can assume that the notch will simply make those notifications smaller to accommodate, or perhaps make the status bar two levels instead of one.

However, the Essential Phone also has its own notch, albeit a much smaller and less obtrusive one than the iPhone X. Wouldn’t it make sense for Google to anticipate that future handsets will look more like that, as the technology to have cameras and sensors under the display gets developed?

According to the anonymous sources, Google also intends to make Google Assistant a more integral part of the user interface going forward. This is an expected move, as Google Assistant appears to be the company’s primary focus at the moment.

What do you think? Are you ready to buy a notched phone, or would you rather have a traditional top bezel until technology advances enough to have a legitimately all-screen device? Let us know in the comments!