Apple iPhone's 'top-notch' display isn't going anywhere

The debate

There has been a lot of debate whether or not the notch should stay or not. There are possibilities that the TrueDepth camera technology will phase out over time, and soon the technology won't require such big area to work.

There are people who believe that the notch design will stick around for a while, especially for Apple. The reason being that the company ditched the Home Button, and since the notch now has a particular responsibility, it won't be easy to get rid of it anytime soon.

Not everyone agrees that the notch will stay long enough. They believe that the company placed the notch because this is the first generation of the phone and soon the company will find a way to fit the sensor in a smaller space, resulting in a device without the notch.

iPads with notch?

There were rumors surrounding the notch coming to the iPad lineup offering similar functionality as the iPhone X. Lot of concepts showed how the iPad Pro could shape up, while others suggested that the company wouldn't adopt the design for the iPad because the device already has a more real estate. Although this doesn't decide the fate of the notch, if the company decides to bring the design to the bigger device, it's a safe bet to say that the design will stay longer than you think.

What's imperative to know is that it took Apple ten years to shift from thick top and bottom bezels to just the notch. But never did the company shrink the bezels despite cramming in the same sensors such as the FaceTime camera, earpiece. Apple has an ability to design for the coming several years. That's the reason why the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 8 are so close in terms of design. The company reused most of the tooling without having to alter the design majorly.

And trimming down the notch just after a year after iPhone X will require not just some extraordinary engineering, but also new machinery to produce such a device. This also makes it hard to believe the reports doing rounds of the removal of the notch.

Speculations

According to ETNews "Apple decided to get rid of notch design starting from 2019 models and is having discussions with relevant companies." said an industry representative.

"It seems that Apple is planning to implement full-screen that is more complete in its new iPhones." The report also suggests that the company will retain the FaceID and also speculates possible ways to incorporate the technology in the screen.

"Suppliers are interested in how Apple will be able to place receiver, front-camera, and Face ID feature and implement full-screen at the same time."

We have already seen a plenty of Android smartphones that feature the iPhone X-like notch. They may look like the iPhone X, but they don't carry the advanced TureDepth camera tech. These smartphones will eventually flood the supply chain making it really hard to determine what is and isn't a new Apple's component. This is a good thing for Apple, who dislikes leaks, but not something an Apple fanatic wants to see happening.

Alternative

As far the notch-less iPhones are concerned, it seems far from reality. The report also says the "Some display industries think that Apple will either drill holes into OLED panels or use BM (Black Matrix) area within displays."

Well, drilling holes in the screen don't sound like anything better than the notch. Apple could opt the sliding mechanism seen on the Vivo Apex concept phone, but it doesn't seem like something Apple would do.

Honestly, the notch doesn't have anything attractive, but it does carry everything to power the iPhone X. Also, it only takes you few days to get used to the notch. But if you are expecting that Apple would remove the notch anytime soon, it's time you put your thinking cap on.