OnePlus 6 to have a screen notch, but smaller than Apple iPhone X

In an interview, Pei made references to iPhone X, its notch-based screen and what OnePlus has learnt from Apple’s notch-based screen set-up to enhance the user experience in its upcoming OnePlus 6.

Technology News : Some important insights on the still unofficial OnePlus 6 that had been doing the rounds of the internet for a while have now been made official by the company’s CEO and co-founder Carl Pei. In an interview with technology portal The Verge, Pei confirmed that the upcoming smartphone would embrace the notch screen, but with more thought and care than the other Android-based manufacturers that have adopted it.

Throughout the interview, Pei made references to iPhone X, its notch-based screen and how OnePlus took lessons from Apple’s notch-based screen set-up to enhance the user experience in its upcoming OnePlus 6.

Pei also made a reference to Essential PH1, which is among the first smartphones to sport a tiny circular display notch in the Android space. However, Pei believes that incorporating such a small notch could not be done without making some modifications to the device’s earpiece, selfie camera, sensors and notification lights, which might compromise the overall quality of the device.

On the other hand, Pei also stated that the notch size in the iPhone X was bigger due to its Face ID module; the notch in the OnePlus 6 would be smaller than iPhone X but bigger than the one found in Essential PH1. Pei also provided the precise measurements for the notch in OnePlus upcoming device; it will be 19.616mm x 7.687mm.

Talking about software enhancements, Pei said the company was working on enhancing the user experience by employing gesture-based navigation – again, something similar to iPhone X – to allow the phone to do away with Android navigation keys while allowing enhanced user experience based on gestures.

According to Pei, the company had to manually test the top 1,000 Play Store apps to understand how to make them compatible with the notch. To accommodate the notch, the company is shifting its clock to the left side of the screen, releasing more room for status icons.