{"video_id":"ZW159ljdvus","title":"What's the Point of Smartphone Notches?","channel":"Techquickie","show":"Techquickie","published_at":"2019-05-06T14:58:16Z","duration_s":278,"segments":[{"start_s":0.12,"end_s":1.52,"text":"Thanks for watching Techquickie.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":1.52,"end_s":5.92,"text":"Click the subscribe button, then enable notifications with the bell icon, so you won't miss any","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":5.92,"end_s":6.92,"text":"future videos.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":6.92,"end_s":10.59,"text":"Oh, hey, what's that thing?","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":10.59,"end_s":15.19,"text":"Well, I guess if you're watching this on an iPhone X, you're used to it by now.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":15.19,"end_s":18.95,"text":"But for the rest of you, this is probably pretty annoying.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":18.95,"end_s":24.01,"text":"So what exactly is the point of the notch, which is either suddenly in vogue or a huge","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":24.01,"end_s":26.71,"text":"source of complaints, depending on your opinion?","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":26.71,"end_s":30.51,"text":"Is Apple just trying to tell us all, yeah, we're Apple, and we can do whatever we want","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":30.51,"end_s":33.19,"text":"with our gadgets, just like we do with a headphone jack?","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":33.19,"end_s":34.87,"text":"Well, not exactly.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":34.87,"end_s":39.51,"text":"In fact, the lesser-known Essential Phone was actually the first modern smartphone to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":39.51,"end_s":43.67,"text":"feature a notch for its front-facing camera, though it's quite a bit smaller than the one","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":43.67,"end_s":45.53,"text":"you'd find on the iPhone X.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":45.53,"end_s":49.79,"text":"Released just two months before the iPhone X, the Essential Phone was our first look","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":49.79,"end_s":54.23,"text":"at how a phone designer might try to fill as much of the front of the device as possible","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":54.23,"end_s":57.69,"text":"with actual screen instead of bezels.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":57.69,"end_s":60.49,"text":"And although they figured out how to bury a fingerprint sensor under the phone, they","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":60.49,"end_s":69.05,"text":"figured out how to do it with a front-facing camera, which is now a critical feature in","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":69.05,"end_s":74.13,"text":"all modern smartphones due to its utilization by popular apps and, of course, our narcissistic","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":74.13,"end_s":76.59,"text":"need for on-demand selfies.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":76.59,"end_s":80.89,"text":"Of course, many phone makers simply hide the camera and other phone components inside of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":80.89,"end_s":85.37,"text":"a bezel, but Essential went with the notch approach because Android OS fills the top","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":85.37,"end_s":89.85,"text":"notification bar from the left and right, so the idea was that the camera in the middle","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":89.85,"end_s":92.43,"text":"wouldn't block anything super important.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":92.43,"end_s":96.77,"text":"And they even built in an option allowing the user to choose whether or not to hide","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":96.77,"end_s":101.75,"text":"the notch in landscape mode by turning the notch side of the screen into a black bar","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":101.75,"end_s":103.27,"text":"that won't block anything.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":103.27,"end_s":108.27,"text":"Of course, Apple's notch is significantly larger, leaving only two small loaves of screen","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":108.27,"end_s":109.91,"text":"space at the phone's corners.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":109.91,"end_s":115.01,"text":"A big part of the rationale for this is that the iPhone X's Face ID recognition system","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":115.01,"end_s":119.75,"text":"needs additional equipment, such as an IR camera and a dot projector, that can't also","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":119.85,"end_s":122.21,"text":"—yet— be buried under the screen.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":122.21,"end_s":126.33,"text":"So to be fair, the iPhone X is sporting a pretty cool piece of tech that Essential Phone","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":126.33,"end_s":131.41,"text":"and other Android devices don't yet have, and iOS also doesn't display notification","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":131.41,"end_s":136.71,"text":"icons across the top of the screen like Android does, making the notches a little easier to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":136.71,"end_s":138.09,"text":"get away with.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":138.09,"end_s":142.69,"text":"And Apple does designate safe areas in app development to prevent content from being","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":142.69,"end_s":144.39,"text":"obscured by the notch.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":144.39,"end_s":148.35,"text":"Now of course, this doesn't mean that the notch should be immune from criticism, with","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":148.35,"end_s":149.47,"text":"many users noting that it seems like the notch is a bit too big for the iPhone X, and Apple's","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":149.47,"end_s":158.19,"text":"technology has completely caught up, especially as we're now seeing phones that are bezel-less","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":158.19,"end_s":164.05,"text":"on three sides — a more appealing alternative to the awkward notch, at least for some.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":164.05,"end_s":166.59,"text":"Because awkwardness is in the eye of the beholder, right?","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":166.59,"end_s":171.01,"text":"And there's been speculation that Apple is intentionally using the bezel as a signature","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":171.01,"end_s":174.05,"text":"look, just like the scroll wheel on the iPod.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":174.05,"end_s":179.47,"text":"And any time Apple does that, other companies, including OnePlus and ASUS, follow suit.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":179.47,"end_s":183.43,"text":"And both have already confirmed they'll be using notches in their upcoming phones, with","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":183.43,"end_s":188.13,"text":"one ASUS exec even going so far as to say it's what the people want.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":188.13,"end_s":193.03,"text":"So whether you love or hate Apple for starting this trend, there's a good chance we'll","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":193.03,"end_s":197.43,"text":"see notches become more common until solutions for hiding phone components beneath the display","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":197.43,"end_s":199.41,"text":"become widespread.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":199.41,"end_s":204.25,"text":"In fact, Android P has features specifically for developers who want to incorporate notches","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":204.25,"end_s":208.65,"text":"into app design, so if you are hoping that the phone industry will relent and suddenly","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":209.47,"end_s":215.32,"text":"consider a bad idea, you might want to dial your hopes back a notch.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":215.32,"end_s":220.04,"text":"Not only does PIA work on up to five devices at once by hiding your IP address and allowing","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":220.04,"end_s":224.0,"text":"you to bypass geo-restrictions and censorship by making you appear that you're connecting","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":224.0,"end_s":229.12,"text":"from somewhere else, it also blocks unwanted connections to help prevent attacks, auto-blocks","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":229.12,"end_s":233.26,"text":"all traffic if the VPN disconnects, keeps your data out of the hands of advertisers","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":233.26,"end_s":238.36,"text":"and other snoops who are tracking your activity, prevents DNS leaks, and even includes MACE,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":238.36,"end_s":239.36,"text":"PIA's built-in malware block.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":239.36,"end_s":245.42,"text":"PIA supports multiple VPN protocols and encryption levels, allowing you to dial in the exact","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":245.42,"end_s":247.4,"text":"level of protection that you need.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":247.4,"end_s":252.7,"text":"They have apps for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux, and a Chrome extension, with support","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":252.7,"end_s":255.02,"text":"for even more platforms coming soon.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":255.02,"end_s":260.96,"text":"And PIA has over 3,000 servers in 28 different countries and does not log user activity,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":260.96,"end_s":261.96,"text":"so what are you waiting for?","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":261.96,"end_s":263.94,"text":"Check them out today at the link below.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":263.94,"end_s":265.84,"text":"Okay guys, thanks for watching TechWiki.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":265.84,"end_s":267.68,"text":"Like this video if you liked it, dislike it if you didn't.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":267.68,"end_s":269.12,"text":"Like for more notches and bad news.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":269.12,"end_s":275.98,"text":"Leave a comment in the video description, check out other channels, and don't forget","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":275.98,"end_s":276.98,"text":"to subscribe.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0}],"full_text":"Thanks for watching Techquickie. Click the subscribe button, then enable notifications with the bell icon, so you won't miss any future videos. Oh, hey, what's that thing? Well, I guess if you're watching this on an iPhone X, you're used to it by now. But for the rest of you, this is probably pretty annoying. So what exactly is the point of the notch, which is either suddenly in vogue or a huge source of complaints, depending on your opinion? Is Apple just trying to tell us all, yeah, we're Apple, and we can do whatever we want with our gadgets, just like we do with a headphone jack? Well, not exactly. In fact, the lesser-known Essential Phone was actually the first modern smartphone to feature a notch for its front-facing camera, though it's quite a bit smaller than the one you'd find on the iPhone X. Released just two months before the iPhone X, the Essential Phone was our first look at how a phone designer might try to fill as much of the front of the device as possible with actual screen instead of bezels. And although they figured out how to bury a fingerprint sensor under the phone, they figured out how to do it with a front-facing camera, which is now a critical feature in all modern smartphones due to its utilization by popular apps and, of course, our narcissistic need for on-demand selfies. Of course, many phone makers simply hide the camera and other phone components inside of a bezel, but Essential went with the notch approach because Android OS fills the top notification bar from the left and right, so the idea was that the camera in the middle wouldn't block anything super important. And they even built in an option allowing the user to choose whether or not to hide the notch in landscape mode by turning the notch side of the screen into a black bar that won't block anything. Of course, Apple's notch is significantly larger, leaving only two small loaves of screen space at the phone's corners. A big part of the rationale for this is that the iPhone X's Face ID recognition system needs additional equipment, such as an IR camera and a dot projector, that can't also —yet— be buried under the screen. So to be fair, the iPhone X is sporting a pretty cool piece of tech that Essential Phone and other Android devices don't yet have, and iOS also doesn't display notification icons across the top of the screen like Android does, making the notches a little easier to get away with. And Apple does designate safe areas in app development to prevent content from being obscured by the notch. Now of course, this doesn't mean that the notch should be immune from criticism, with many users noting that it seems like the notch is a bit too big for the iPhone X, and Apple's technology has completely caught up, especially as we're now seeing phones that are bezel-less on three sides — a more appealing alternative to the awkward notch, at least for some. Because awkwardness is in the eye of the beholder, right? And there's been speculation that Apple is intentionally using the bezel as a signature look, just like the scroll wheel on the iPod. And any time Apple does that, other companies, including OnePlus and ASUS, follow suit. And both have already confirmed they'll be using notches in their upcoming phones, with one ASUS exec even going so far as to say it's what the people want. So whether you love or hate Apple for starting this trend, there's a good chance we'll see notches become more common until solutions for hiding phone components beneath the display become widespread. In fact, Android P has features specifically for developers who want to incorporate notches into app design, so if you are hoping that the phone industry will relent and suddenly consider a bad idea, you might want to dial your hopes back a notch. Not only does PIA work on up to five devices at once by hiding your IP address and allowing you to bypass geo-restrictions and censorship by making you appear that you're connecting from somewhere else, it also blocks unwanted connections to help prevent attacks, auto-blocks all traffic if the VPN disconnects, keeps your data out of the hands of advertisers and other snoops who are tracking your activity, prevents DNS leaks, and even includes MACE, PIA's built-in malware block. PIA supports multiple VPN protocols and encryption levels, allowing you to dial in the exact level of protection that you need. They have apps for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux, and a Chrome extension, with support for even more platforms coming soon. And PIA has over 3,000 servers in 28 different countries and does not log user activity, so what are you waiting for? Check them out today at the link below. Okay guys, thanks for watching TechWiki. Like this video if you liked it, dislike it if you didn't. Like for more notches and bad news. Leave a comment in the video description, check out other channels, and don't forget to subscribe."}