Notch What is notch? Are there alternatives?

First of all, it is very important that we understand what we are referring to when we talk about the notch, and basically it is a physical element incorporated into smartphones, which aims to house elements such as the front camera, the flash and others.

What is Notch?

Basically, it is about reducing the space that these elements occupy, to the point that we reduce them to a small tab that is at the top of the screen.

Obviously, each manufacturer has presented its particular model, so that, although all of them are quite similar, they obviously follow guidelines that vary based on the design.

The notch concept arose when Apple introduced the iPhone

Despite the criticism they received, the notch has been copied by many Android manufacturers, such as in the Huawei P20 range.

What benefits has the notch brought to smartphones?

Make the most of the screen

With the notch the size of the screens can increase the screen ratio considerably, for example the iPhone iPhone X is very similar to the iPhone 5,8.

Remove top borders

Although this may be relative since sometimes the notch acts as the upper edge, although it does reduce it considerably compared to smartphones with standard frames, and they also usually include the front camera, facial recognition in the case of iPhones (X,XS,XR and X Plus) and speakers.

Although there have been many manufacturers that have fallen into the temptation of using the notch, many users do not like the inclusion within the smartphones since this notch can be annoying.

In my personal case, I am a user of an iPhone

Disadvantages of the notch

Cut the content

when you are watching a movie on Netflix or a video on YouTube, in the notch part the content is cut therefore you cannot appreciate the visual content 100%

Screen ratio

This is not something exclusive to the iPhone, since it is a problem that is present in the majority of smartphones that are currently being launched on the market and that is that their screen ratio is usually 21:9 while the visual content is 16:9 , therefore if you want to take advantage of the entire screen you must enlarge the image and therefore you lose the display of content.

Although as a personal conclusion the notch provides more advantages than disadvantages since in a smaller size smartphone you can have a larger screen and after a week of use you no longer even notice its presence.

Which models were the pioneers in mounting the notch

As we already told you at the beginning of the article, the notch saw the light of day for the first time in 2017, and even, during the first half of 2018, it became a very marked option and that many manufacturers, among which Apple stood out, , they invested their effort to get the attention of users.

Basically it was sold as an alternative with which we would be able to enjoy more space on the screen, and soon several manufacturers decided to join this new trend:

• Asus: It was one of the manufacturers that, as far as possible, took the longest to adapt this system to its new terminals, but given that great advantages were promised, it decided to incorporate it in its Asus Zenfone 5, Asus Zenfone 5 Lite and Asus models Zenfone 5z.
• Doogee: another of those interested in incorporating this element into the terminals, this time through a single model which was the Dooge V.
• Essential Phone: It is one of the first to launch this system in its new terminals. It should be noted that in this case it was only intended to house the front camera.
• Huawei: This manufacturer went a little further, as it introduced the system in its Huawei P20, Huawei P20 Pro and Huawei P20 Lite models, but with the advantage that on these occasions it could be hidden, so it was one step ahead of the rest as we will be able to see a little later.
• iPhone: Apple launched this system shortly after the majority on its iPhone
• Leagoo: This is another of the manufacturers that welcomed this system, to the point that they decided to include it in their Leagoo S9 and Leagoo S9 Pro models.
• OnePlus: another of the manufacturers that has also insisted a lot on trying to get the public interested in this system, specifically with the OnePlus 6 model.
• Oukitel: is the manufacturer that later added this physical tab to its devices, and specifically did so in its Oukitel U18 model.
• Sharp: This is the first device that was launched with a notch, although the reason was due to the agenda, since a few days later, the rest of the manufacturers also released their own creations. Specifically, it launched it with its Sharp Aquos S2 device.
• Ulefone: It was in 2018 when Ulefone showed the world its new Ulefone T2 Pro model, which effectively included the notch on its upper part. In addition, it has subsequently also launched the Ulefone X which continues to maintain the tab.
• W: and we end up with two models, the Wiko View 2 and the Wiko View 2 Pro, the two devices from this manufacturer that also incorporated the system, although on this occasion it was only intended for the front camera, so it offered a much larger presence. smaller and less annoying.

What smartphones have a notch account today?

The notch had a boom among smartphone manufacturers last year and we can already see a wide catalog:

• Iphone (X,XS XR AND XS MAX): Apple was the first company to introduce this concept, in its restyling of the commemorative edition for its tenth anniversary, becoming the first "all-screen" smartphone from the apple company.
• Huawei P30: They include the notch in the P30, P30 LITE AND P30 PRO versions and you can also find last year's version on the market made up of the P20, P20 LITE AND P20 PRO range.
• LG V50 ThinQ: LG's flagship during 2019, LG has chosen to use this technology in order to join this "all screen" trend since last year.
• Wiko View 2: This company offers its range of notch terminals at a very affordable price, around 250 euros.
• Xiaomi: You can find this new concept in its MI, REDMI AND POCOPHONE range.
• Ulefone T3 PRO: If you are interested in purchasing a smartphone from this brand, its version with a notch is available from the Ulefone T2 PRO that was presented at the MWC in Barcelona in 2018, its characteristics do not vary much from the new version.

What alternatives are available on the market to avoid the notch?

As we have mentioned before, there are many users who, despite the rise of the notch, are not convinced by it and there are also other options that are committed to this "all screen" concept but sacrificing the notch, for this we are going to cite a series of ideas. that the different brands have proposed:

Samsung

This brand has been the most controversial and has spoken out the most against the notch; instead, they have implemented "holes" in the screen as we can see in their new S10 range.

Huawei

Although Huawei has implemented the notch, they offer an option to virtually eliminate the notch so that you do not have to suffer content "cuts."

They have also introduced their “hole” concept in the Huawei Nova 4.

Dooge Mix 4

The DOGGE brand, a Chinese brand that wants to start entering the European market, this brand has a sliding back.

VIVO NEX

This company has invented a system by which the front camera emerges from the rear thanks to a spring.

XIAOMI

In the MI MIX 3 model they offered a design that was all screen, and that the front camera was hidden by a sliding mechanism, however, as we have seen in the latest patents, they are testing quite strange concepts that from our point of view we do not know. If the cure is worse than the disease, due to these two patents they have made:

Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC),

The brand that introduced the notch is already thinking about eliminating it, according to rumors that the terminals that they are going to present during this September will reduce the size considerably until their complete destruction in the 2020 models, due to the reduction of all the cameras they incorporate to that can be introduced within the framework.

What are the notch substitutes from 2020

For this reason, the notch as we know it has not achieved the success that was expected in 2019.

However, it has served as a starting point to other alternatives that can be much more beneficial for the user, which we are going to learn about below:

The hole in the screen

First of all, we talk to you about the one that will most likely be the notch substitute, and this time it is Samsung that has put it into practice, but it seems that Apple and Huawei intend to follow in the footsteps of the Asian giant.

In fact, it is expected that this system will be available by the end of 2019, so we will soon be able to see if it is really the most effective and best-valued means by users to incorporate into the new terminals for 2020.

Remove the front camera and add a rear screen

Another alternative that has also been quite striking, although perhaps not going to be the one that prevails, is the option of adding a second screen on the back of the device, so that the front camera would be eliminated and we would take selfies or selfies. with the rear camera.

It is clear that this is a very good idea, but it also has its drawbacks.

Firstly, we would find that the back of the device would also be a screen, making it much easier for us to end up damaging it with use.

While it is true that by removing the front camera we save on the manufacturing of the device, adding a rear screen at the end will mean an extra cost that may not be suitable for most users.

It is also true that the covers would be somewhat more complicated and would protect the device less, in addition to not being as practical when using them.

In fact, this system has already been incorporated into the Nubia X, and it is certainly very interesting, but as we say, it may not be the option that the end consumer is really looking for.

The sliding screen

Perhaps, one of the methods that has attracted the most attention is precisely the sliding screen.

Basically, it is a device that is made in two parts, so that we can slide the front screen down, leaving an area at the top that belongs to the back cover and that incorporates the camera, the flash and all the necessary elements.

This way, when we are not using them, we will have the possibility of taking advantage of all the available space on the device's screen.

Incorporate the traditional notch on your device with Android operating system

And finally we didn't want to say goodbye without telling you that, if you are one of those who go against the current and you do like the notch, then there is the possibility of incorporating it into your device with Android operating system.

We can do this through an application that adds the small black tab at the top.

Of course, it is evident that we are talking about an element only of appearance, that is, the notch is a physical addition, not software, while this application is obviously software, not physical.

In any case, if you want to add it, you can download Smartphone upgrader 2017 – Add a notch! And in this way, add the tab to any type of device you have in your hands that uses the Android operating system.

Nuestras conclusions

In conclusion, we could determine that the notch was introduced by Apple as a mere transition to the futuristic phones dreamed of by everyone in which the front of the terminal was "all screen" and even flexible as we can see in the Samung Galaxy Flex, it has undoubtedly been a concept that has been criticized and has caused some controversy since its introduction in 2017.

What we cannot doubt is that it has helped us get as close as possible to the concept that we saw when we were little in series, movies and video games and that little by little we can observe how fiction surpasses reality.

Every year new developments appear that are usually quite interesting with respect to smartphones and tablets, to the point that many of them set a new trend that is reflected in subsequent years. This time we are going to talk about notch, a concept that was introduced for the first time in the terminals in 2017, and in fact, it was expected that in 2018 and 2019 it would become one of the most notable physical novelties of the devices.