Google could not justify the massive notch of Pixel 3 XL

Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL from Google arrived yesterday without much fanfare. After all, the devices have almost completely fled in the past two months, leaving little imagination when Google's hardware chief, Rick Osterloh, came on the scene. But one aspect of Pixel 3 XL, in particular, which has become more pronounced and disconcerting now than we have seen in its entirety – and we've heard Google's reasoning about its existence – is the rather intrusive display notch.

With the Pixel 3 XL, Google's rationale for notching it has been able to reduce the edges of the device and provide a larger screen, while the notch is there to accommodate better speakers and an improved dual selfie camera system. Google even claims to have a better notch / display ratio than some of its rivals, and the whole argument is that you get more screen, not less. But I find that unconvincing, and here's why.

You may hate nicks, and I can preach to the choir here complaining about Google. But I do not hate them. In fact, I am a fan if the compromise is for some features that I like, and I am completely ambivalent to the existence of screen cuts from an aesthetic point of view up to a certain point. I've been using an iPhone X since its release. I never realized the nick when we first walked in and I still have not done it today. I'm using an iPhone XS at the time of writing these lines. But a notch should, at the very least, serve something. There should be a good reason to be there, and Google did not really have a strong one to offer yesterday.

For iPhone owners, it was a no-brainer. The notch of the original iPhone X, although perhaps not ideal from the point of view of design, was not too wide, not too long and had a huge amount impressive technology in a nice screen. The facial identity is activated by the TrueDepth camera module and Apple's exclusive security and facial recognition software. With this combination of hardware and software, it is possible to perform camera depth tricks with the front lens. And there are ridiculous software features, like Animoji and Memoji, that are a fun little distraction from time to time, but only enabled by the hardware built into the iPhone's notch.

On the Pixel 3 XL screen, the screen has undergone a similar improvement and it is clear that Google has built the best screen ever seen in its Pixel range. But the substantial benefits you get from buying a phone with a notch in this case are the upgraded speakers and the wide angle selfie camera. There is no facial recognition, no selfie trick, like that of Animoji, and no camera features exclusive to the larger version of the phone.

In fact, no software advantage is limited to the larger of the two pixels. Anything you can do with front-facing and rear-facing cameras in the Pixel 3 XL can be achieved with the standard Pixel 3. And the wide-angle lens for better selfies and improved speakers? You get all that with the Pixel 3 as well, and in a conventional package without the less expensive clutter.

So the big question is whether the edge-to-edge screen is worth it and if the notch is a reasonable compromise for that. I would say that the first is questionable for most consumers, and the second one is not categorical.

Google could reduce the notch, but does not wish to remove the speakers or dual camera system. And he could keep these components and reduce the display, but he wants an end-to-end look. In other words, it's a choice. But it is a problem that is undermined by the simple fact of looking at the phone in photo. For starters, the notch of Pixel 3 XL seems rather large and remarkable, despite the claims of Google.

Another problem, although minor, is that the notch of the Pixel 3 XL does not give Google the advantage of making all the edges of the phone without glasses. In practice, the notch exists to allow the company to have a front camera while also stretching the display in the corners. (Some companies, like Vivo, have come up with new self-adhesive self-adhesive cameras to avoid all this.)

But if you look at the bottom of Google's new device, you will see a frame. Most phones today, with the notable exception of the iPhone X / XS range, have a similar "chin" in the bottom, but the Pixel 3 XL is particularly noticeable.

Picture of Dan Seifert / The Verge

Google indicates that the Pixel 3 XL will have the ability to "Turn off" the notch if you do not like that, turn the top of the phone next to the cutout into a black bar and nothing else. But then why bother shipping a phone with an edge-to-edge display if customers end up hating it to the point of disabling it? Of course, some consumers might not care at all and leave it as is, while those who prefer extra leeway for the bar simply turn it off. However, the fact of wanting to give this option to people would suggest that even Google understands that it offers a compromise more complicated than it seems at first glance.

My colleague Dieter Bohn, who holds the camera and naturally has more opinion on the design of a smartphone than the average consumer, says that the notch is "not as flagrant in person only on the photos ". But he says that the size of the notch can have a noticeable effect on the appearance of "cut-out" images and application screens. He also said that "the slightly larger screen of Pixel 3, smaller, has seriously encouraged me to switch to the smaller phone."

Overall, the general trend is that the notch trend may sink into otherwise well-designed and well-designed handsets by failing to justify what is ultimately a compromise. As we saw earlier this year, tons of Android phones copied the design of the iPhone X notch just to have a device that looked like a flagship product. Apple, but they have managed to include none of the technologies under the hood that makes it acceptable.

The new OnePlus 6T, whose image was leaked last week, has a small notch because the company does not seem to need to stuff it with sensors and extra hardware to get that end-to-end look. end. It is a clever implementation of a notch that recognizes that without convincing sales argument, the cut must be small and subtle.

In the case of Google, there are simply not enough arguments for a notch of this size so inefficient to improve the quality and experience of using the device. Will buyers worry about it? Maybe not. But the Pixel 3 XL has no favor when the slightly smaller and less bulky version of the phone becomes the much more attractive option to buyers.