I would be all over this if it ran iOS. I don't use the front facing camera very often either. I feel like Apple kinda designed themselves into a corner (like a thermal corner?) with Face ID. Sure it can be useful in some situations like wearing gloves, but in other situations it can be annoying like when not looking directly at the display when it's laying on a desk or, on the iPad, when you accidentally cover it with your thumb 70% of the time you try to unlock it. The thing is, I'm not sure if they are going to get to a point technologically within the next 5 years where they can produce a notchless display. At least not without squaring off the corners of the iPhone, leaving the rounded display edges, and then hiding the cameras in the corners. But that would look pretty weird.
Meanwhile all of these new Android phones will be leaving the iPhone looking dated. The pop-up camera is a good solution for selfies and FaceTime, but not for each time you need to unlock your phone. I sometimes still think that in-display Touch ID—an improved version better than the cruddy version many Android phones use—could still be in the cards for a future iPhone. But I also worry about having any moving parts in a mobile device, which is the obvious solution for the front camera. This implementation does indeed look strong, but moving parts always break down over time. Even simple things like the old home button would sometimes give out. But I feel like for many people the moving camera is a better trade off than the notch. Personally it doesn't bother me that much unless I'm watching really wide screen video. But there is also something nice about the clean aesthetic of a notchless display that really resonates with me. I love my 2018 iPad Pro for this reason, along with the Pro Motion. Surely the X-class 2019 iPhone will feature Pro Motion, or at the very least something in-between like this.
At this point I'm just not finding a lot of reason to upgrade my iPhone this year—and I do it every year. Hopefully this just means Apple is doing a better job at keeping things a secret. The problem is the XS is just a damn good phone. Sure there are some small improvements that could be made, but even for enthusiasts like me, I feel like there needs to be something big to make it worthwhile. Maybe if the camera is really that much better and there is Pro Motion? But even then I'm only on the fence. What will it have to push me to buy, much less the average guy on the street who isn't going to care about potentials like WiFi 6 or a slightly smaller notch or 480fps slow motion?
