Embracing the Notch: How Are You Adapting to the Most Controversial iPhone X Design Decision?

[JPIndustrie]

Jeez as if the middle of the top bar on iOS was ever a plethora of information and content ... ::rollseyes::

It was always wasted space - I’m glad Phil S and the team found a way to make it functional and useful.

I say - give me that extra 1/4” on the very top on either sides - don’t give up those pixels just for people’s vanity.

Sometimes I think people are just contrary simply for contrary’s sake - not to actually accomplish anything relevant.

 

[PBRsg]

Not gonna lie, only people I hear complaining about it are the pees without it. I love the notch to be honest, and I don't want another phone without it.

I could buy ten iPhone Xs and I would not even notice it on my bank account. I just HATE THE NOTCH.
[doublepost=1510718496][/doublepost]

TRUTH! BEST COMMENT TO DATE!

So imagine the notch being on the side of the phone and someone makes the same case that is it just a reduced bezel - stupid argument. Screens have had 90 degree angles forever for a reason - because they look and work best that way. This is just apologism for Apple's crappy design by fanboys. Mind you, I am huge fan of Apple as well, but I hate the notch.

 

[VictorTango777]

On a MacBook Pro, the desktop and application windows don't extend into the touch bar because macOS doesn't allow it. Developers are not asked to rework their applications to keep them out of the touch bar area.

 

[flat five]

I mean... it’s clearly not ideal. But, the question is, since a front facing camera is necessary (even if there were no Face ID), are any alternatives any better?

there are way better alternatives available.. really, a missed opportunity by Apple:

-----> <------

 

[MUWarrior10]

Must say, ive been pleasantly surprised and have no real complaints with the notch.

The "notch," or sensor housing on the iPhone X is the single most polarizing design decision Apple made when creating its new flagship smartphone. Some people hate the way the notch eats into the display, while others appreciate that extra bit of visible space.

Love it or hate it, the notch is here to stay until Apple finds a better way to integrate the TrueDepth camera system into its iPhone lineup. Luckily, while the notch can be disturbing at first, most people find it's easy to become accustomed to. In the video below, we explore the notch, how it affects day to day iPhone X usage, how apps are compensating, and some ways to hide it.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.​

Prior to the iPhone X's launch, the notch sparked a lot of discussion, much of it negative, but hate for the notch has died down as people have become used to Apple's design choice.

Apple's official policy is that developers and users should embrace the notch, and as apps have implemented designs that work around it, it's blended into the background and become less noticeable in day to day use.

There are still apps that have yet to adapt to the notch, but as optimizations continue, it'll disappear even further. Here at MacRumors, we've found that the notch isn't really bothersome at all.

One exception might be landscape mode, as it's more noticeable in that orientation when doing things like browsing Safari, watching YouTube videos, and playing games. Safari browsing is getting better, though, with a new Webkit API in iOS 11.2 that allows developers to design around the notch for a better full screen experience, and in the YouTube app, if you double tap on a video, it expands to a full screen mode that's easier to watch.

For those who absolutely hate the notch, there are a couple of new apps like Notcho, designed to edit wallpapers to add a black bar to the top, effectively hiding it on the Home and Lock screen. Notcho doesn't work within apps, though, and in our opinion, hiding the notch looks worse than accepting it.

Article Link: Embracing the Notch: How Are You Adapting to the Most Controversial iPhone X Design Decision?

The "notch," or sensor housing on the iPhone X is the single most polarizing design decision Apple made when creating its new flagship smartphone. Some people hate the way the notch eats into the display, while others appreciate that extra bit of visible space.

Love it or hate it, the notch is here to stay until Apple finds a better way to integrate the TrueDepth camera system into its iPhone lineup. Luckily, while the notch can be disturbing at first, most people find it's easy to become accustomed to. In the video below, we explore the notch, how it affects day to day iPhone X usage, how apps are compensating, and some ways to hide it.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.​

Prior to the iPhone X's launch, the notch sparked a lot of discussion, much of it negative, but hate for the notch has died down as people have become used to Apple's design choice.

Apple's official policy is that developers and users should embrace the notch, and as apps have implemented designs that work around it, it's blended into the background and become less noticeable in day to day use.

There are still apps that have yet to adapt to the notch, but as optimizations continue, it'll disappear even further. Here at MacRumors, we've found that the notch isn't really bothersome at all.

One exception might be landscape mode, as it's more noticeable in that orientation when doing things like browsing Safari, watching YouTube videos, and playing games. Safari browsing is getting better, though, with a new Webkit API in iOS 11.2 that allows developers to design around the notch for a better full screen experience, and in the YouTube app, if you double tap on a video, it expands to a full screen mode that's easier to watch.

For those who absolutely hate the notch, there are a couple of new apps like Notcho, designed to edit wallpapers to add a black bar to the top, effectively hiding it on the Home and Lock screen. Notcho doesn't work within apps, though, and in our opinion, hiding the notch looks worse than accepting it.

Article Link: Embracing the Notch: How Are You Adapting to the Most Controversial iPhone X Design Decision?

 

[tridley68]

I just receive my i phone X and could not be happier

 

[flat five]

Clearly the notch is a huge workaround for Apple. They didn’t start out thinking “let’s make a phone with a notch, then decide what to put in it”. Anyone that says otherwise is in denial. Once anyone gets under glass fingerprint, Apple WILL reverse course. ‘All-in’ is total marketing spin for “we’re not smart enough”.

how do you imagine under-glass fingerprint to work from a user point of view?
think it through some..
still good?
or no?

 

[caljef32]

I love the notch.

 

[Apple Corps]

What notch?

 

[Technarchy]

I just use it normally.

Your sight line is not drawn to that area resulting in the notch becoming background noise.

Even in low light I can’t say it stands out and disrupts the experience.

 

[cwosigns]

I could buy ten iPhone Xs and I would not even notice it on my bank account. I just HATE THE NOTCH.
[doublepost=1510718496][/doublepost]

So imagine the notch being on the side of the phone and someone makes the same case that is it just a reduced bezel - stupid argument. Screens have had 90 degree angles forever for a reason - because they look and work best that way. This is just apologism for Apple's crappy design by fanboys. Mind you, I am huge fan of Apple as well, but I hate the notch.

Let me guess...you don't own an iPhone X.

 

[danielchow]

What notch?

 

[tifa_mo]

I was the biggest notch hater you could find out there before I got my hands on one. After a week or so with the phone, I don't love the notch, but I love the overall look so much. The trade-off is worth it. I'd rather have the notch and have the edge to edge display, rather than without the notch but have bezels.

 

[deany]

How are folks finding the loss is %?
I'd really miss that.

 

[QCassidy352]

Not gonna lie, only people I hear complaining about it are the pees without it. I love the notch to be honest, and I don't want another phone without it.

OK, no this is where people who defend the notch lose credibility. So you’re saying that if they were the same phone except all screen, and no notch, you’d prefer that?

 

[rishic89]

The notch is the future! Not that bolllshiiit Samsung boloney

 

[TheFluffyDuck]

I dont mind the notch but not having a numerical percentage for the battery is fairly inexcusable. Im paying a premium price I want to be able to round my bettery life to the nearest single percent, not the nearest twentyfive.

 

[Brandhouse]

So far as implementing the notch into UX or UI, it's a simple thing to understand that in order to build an experience I have a simple constraint to always be aware of. Over time people will stop moaning and accept it. It's indifferent to building around Material Design for Android and Apple Guidelines for iOS.

It's a big non-issue.

 

[formerpc]

"hate for the notch has died down as people have become used to Apple's design choice" - no, I still hate it. More than ever, actually.
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"a huge issue for those who don’t" - that is because those that hate it (like me) refuse to buy the phone.

Have you seen one in person? Spent any time with it? I used to hate the notch until I went into the store to check it out. My opinion softened greatly after that.

 

[macsrcool1234]

i don't mind it but it's hard to believe anyone denying the phone would look better without it

 

[formerpc]

I dont mind the notch but not having a numerical percentage for the battery is fairly inexcusable. Im paying a premium price I want to be able to round my bettery life to the nearest single percent, not the nearest twentyfive.

The battery percentage indicator and cellular signal attenuation being gone really bug me, but that’s an iOS 11 issue more than it is an iPhone X issue.

 

[pierce1979]

I’m have the X. It’s a decent phone, I’m sure I’ll be roasted by all the pro-notch folks, but I for one could have lived without the notch just fine. I miss not seeing the battery percentage on the lock screen, now I have to swipe into controls to see that. Apple should make it a design goal in future revisions of the phone to get rid it. I’ve had the phone since launch and I still think its lame, not lame enough to switch to the iPhone 8, the OLED screen is indeed nice. But I find no reason to celebrate the knotch.

 

[payup]

Everyone seems to be loving the notch and here I am packing my X back to return it.

The notch isn’t the biggest issue in my opinion, it’s the rounded corners that make the border around the screen way more apparent and distracting. I don’t understand why Apple decided to reinvent the wheel on this one. I’d much rather have a slim bar on top and the bottom of the screen and a normal rectangle.

To make matters worse, the keyboard is not positioned at the bottom of the screen anymore. It’s kinda just floating and you have to visually search for the bottom of it to figure out where the space key is.

Other notes:

I love the oled screen. Perfect black is something long missing from the iPhone and it’s great for watching videos in the dark. However, between the smaller screen and the notch, I found myself to not watch videos in my phone as much anymore.

I really like the swipe up to go home gesture, as well as switching between apps by swiping. Image stabilization on the 2x back camera is fantastic. Front camera quality is somewhat irrelevant as I’m not a selfie monster and poop animoji was only fun for about 2 minutes.

FaceID is about 50/50. It’s great when you are facing the phone and holding it on your hand, it doesn’t work for me when the phone is on it’s stand on the desk because of being too far, and it also fails when you first wake up and trying to read your emails in the morning while your face is still half in the pillow.

The size a bit too narrow and too tall (especially exaggerated by the “ears”) - I’m used to typing on an 8 Plus where the keys are quite a bit larger.

Overall, I think if half of my complaints were fixed, I’d keep it, but until then, I’ll stick to the 8 plus.

 

[ajscorpio69]

I could buy ten iPhone Xs and I would not even notice it on my bank account. I just HATE THE NOTCH.
[doublepost=1510718496][/doublepost]

So imagine the notch being on the side of the phone and someone makes the same case that is it just a reduced bezel - stupid argument. Screens have had 90 degree angles forever for a reason - because they look and work best that way. This is just apologism for Apple's crappy design by fanboys. Mind you, I am huge fan of Apple as well, but I hate the notch.

It would look ridiculous on the side of phone. Looks iconic on top!

 

[_Refurbished_]

OK, no this is where people who defend the notch lose credibility. So you’re saying that if they were the same phone except all screen, and no notch, you’d prefer that?

I like the look of the notch in portrait. Gives the phone a unique design. Little corners for my status bar information look good.

Granted, I wish the notch wasn’t there so more information could be presented. If we’re going just on looks, in portrait mode I prefer the notch design. When switching back to my 8, the top somehow looks weird.

This all goes out the window in landscape. Apple needs a software bezel. The notch is quite distracting when displaying anything on the horizontal axis, as there is no status bar to fit into it. Looks like bad design, which it is.