One of the spicier talking points of Apple’s Macbook Pro launch is that it has a notch.

• I mean, it’s probably also the easiest thing to talk about since notches, bezels, punch holes, and so on, divide people. It’s also very easy to take a stance without even seeing one!
• But, just in case you thought notches were Apple-only, now Samsung’s joining in, too.

Quick notch lore:

• For some, a notch in a display means more screen overall, and is better than having a huge blank section.
• But others, the notch feels unnecessary and in the way. Apple itself says that it is actually very smart to do this, ignoring the problems that it will cause, and the feel that it’s more about branding the iPhone and MacBook Pro similarly, despite it all being a bit ugly.
• Here’s our own Palash Volvoikar talking it through.

Now to Samsung:

• Samsung is working on its next tablet line in the S8 series, and renders have exposed some details which include a notch.
• The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, which seems to be a truly very large 14.6-inch display in a roughly 325.8 x 207.9 x 5.4mm body, has a notch.
• Again, like the dilemma Apple faces with slimming bezels but needing to offer a front-facing camera and tech, very slim bezels in the Tab S8 Ultra seems to mean a notch was needed for housing all the tech.
• One new problem here is that tablets are really meant for both portrait and landscape use as you move it around, so a notch moving around as well seems annoying. People do rotate phones with notches at times too, I guess, but mostly for watching videos or gaming, whereas tablets are more multi-purpose?
• Anyway, I personally don’t feel too terribly strongly about it all. Like a punch hole, your eyes/focus just largely ignore what’s not active, even if it takes a little adjusting. That said, my friend runs a Zenfone 6 Pro with its flippy camera, so seeing his complete full-screen with no interruptions is always fun.
• Tech types love a roaring debate…

📁 Oppo could reveal its first foldable next month, joining the ranks of Samsung, Huawei, and Xiaomi, but will it be a China-only launch? (Android Authority).

🔥 We asked, you told us: You feel very strong good feels about the Pixel 6 series. That said: Google’s Pixel 6 update promise is not good enough (Android Authority)

👉 Also something you told us: A ton of you still use screen protectors on your phones. For all the Gorilla Glass talk, three in four slap another layer of glass on top. Including me! (Android Authority).

🕳 Notch what we wanted: Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra renders feature display notch (Android Authority).

📕 A look inside Apple’s silicon playbook, with three Apple VPs going on the record (Ars Technica/Wired).

🍎 Will Apple’s Mini LED MacBook Pros avoid the iPad Pro’s downsides of blooming and edge shadows? (The Verge).

🤷‍♂️ Elon Musk says ‘some issues’ have forced Tesla to pull newest Full Self-Driving beta, with the idea that cars can run beta software still troubling many (Gizmodo).

📈 Tesla has quietly raised prices on four of its EVs: Model 3 and Model Y are $2k more, and the Model S and Model X up $5k (The Verge).

😬 Another Facebook whistleblower, more problems, and leaks show inner turmoil over approach to conservative content (Engadget).

🔨 Age of Empires IV wants to teach you a (historical) lesson (Wired).

📈 Dune is dune pretty good at the box office (Gizmodo).

🤔 Saudi Arabia has announced it’ll be at net zero emissions in 2060, which is 10 years later than most countries, 30 years later than others (Engadget).

👖 ‘Digital denim’ is a pretty good match for the real thing, experts say (TechXplore).

😷 “If you catch a cold, is there an easy way to know or guess which virus is causing it?” (r/askscience).

Winner this week:

Bonus: 2022.

Cheers, 

Tristan Rayner, Senior Editor