The Notch Trend: A Design Decision with a Hidden Purpose

One of the most annoying things about smartphones, according to the host, is the notch trend that has proliferated since the launch of the iPhone 10. While it may seem like a design decision meant to be intentionally infuriating, there's actually a more practical reason behind its creation. As explained in this video, the notch wasn't just a design choice; it was a necessity due to certain components that couldn't be embedded inside the screen.

The front-facing camera, for example, is one of the most notable features that required housing within the screen. The host notes that manufacturers like Xiaomi and Oppo have already started rolling out all-screen phones without gimmicks like sliding or motorized selfie cameras, which means other phone makers are likely to follow suit soon. This shift towards bezel-less designs indicates a significant improvement in display technology.

So, how did these companies manage to pull off this feat? The answer lies in the use of OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) pixels, which can generate their own light and are sandwiched between two layers: the cathode and anode. These layers act as electrical terminals that provide a voltage necessary for the screen to function. It's entirely possible to make these cathode and anode layers out of transparent materials, effectively creating a see-through screen.

In phones with under-screen cameras, only a small part of the display is made up of actual glass or other non-transparent materials, while the rest remains transparent. This allows for a nearly bezel-less design during normal operation. However, when the selfie camera is activated, the OLED pixels turn off, allowing light to pass through the transparent layers and into the camera lens.

To further reduce glare and distortion, the screen above the camera is made with special glass that isn't as reflective as standard display covers. This technique has the potential to make our phones look significantly sleeker while also providing a more seamless user experience.

However, it's essential to note that this technology is still relatively new, which means there are some kinks to work out. At present, users can still faintly see the camera behind the screen and the transparent layers. Moreover, the actual image quality of photos taken with these under-screen cameras hasn't quite reached par with traditional selfie cams.

Despite these limitations, if you're tired of having a notch on your phone, the trade-off might be well worth it – especially if you don't take an excessive number of selfies. After all, the host suggests that signs point towards phones with under-screen cameras arriving in the near future, rather than years down the line.

The tech industry is already moving forward with innovative solutions to tackle pressing issues like cable box rental. For small businesses struggling with financial or organizational challenges, FreshBooks provides a custom-built accounting software designed for their specific needs. This tool enables users to boost productivity, organization, and payment efficiency in an instant.

With its streamlined invoicing feature, FreshBooks allows users to create professional-looking invoices in under 30 seconds, set up online payments with just a couple of clicks, and get paid up to four days faster. Furthermore, the software provides real-time visibility into client activity, helping businesses end the guessing game about who's viewed their invoice.

To learn more about this incredible tool or take advantage of its 30-day free trial, simply enter "techquickie" in the how you heard about us section when visiting FreshBooks.com. Meanwhile, be sure to explore other innovative content on TechWiki and subscribe to our channel for the latest updates.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwhat's your least favorite thing about smartphones the need to feel glued to them constantly paying for screen repairs over and over finding someone promising on tinder and then getting ghosted well if you ask me one of the most annoying things about them is the notch trend that has proliferated ever since the launch of the iphone 10 but as we explained in this video the notch wasn't just a design decision meant to be intentionally infuriating the point of it is to house components that can't be embedded inside the screen most notably the front-facing camera but the good news is that we may be getting rid of the notch for good very soon thanks in large part to the advent of under screen cameras manufacturers like xiaomi and oppo are already getting the ball rolling on all screen phones without gimmicks like sliding or motorized selfie cameras and that means that other phone makers probably aren't too far behind so how exactly did they pull this off i mean hidden cameras are nothing new but it's not often that you see them behind an actual working screen so here's how it works your phone's display assuming that you've got a mid-range to high-end model is made up of a layer of oled pixels that can generate their own light sandwiched between two layers the cathode and the anode that act as electrical terminals that provide a voltage that allows the screen to you know work now it's entirely possible to make the cathode and anode out of transparent materials meaning that you are essentially creating a see-through screen so in a phone with an under screen camera only a small part of the display is actually made to be transparent the area that's hiding the lens so during normal operation that area will function just like the rest of your screen but when you activate that selfie cam the oled pixels turn off allowing light to go straight through the display and into the camera lens additionally the screen above the camera is made with a special kind of glass that isn't as reflective as what normally covers the display to cut down on glare and distortion pretty cool right well although this technology definitely has the potential to make all of our phones look a lot sleeker it's still rather new meaning that there are some kinks to be worked out so at this time it's still possible to faintly see the camera behind the screen and the transparent layers and the low reflectivity glass mean that the display also won't look quite as good above the camera when you're not trying to take a photo furthermore there's the small matter of the actual image quality of the pictures that you snap i mean it's certainly a remarkable party trick to be able to bury the camera behind the screen but early reports indicate that the photos don't look as nice as they do on traditional selfie cams that aren't covered up by anything and this makes sense given that the last time i got a good look at a transparent oled display it clearly pardoned the pun didn't allow all of the light through with that said if you're sick of having a notch on your phone the trade-off might be well worth it for you especially if you don't actually take a ton of selfies now at the time of making this video there was no definitive timetable for when phones with underscreen cameras would be on the market but all signs point to them coming in the near future as opposed to years down the line so be on the lookout for the long-awaited no compromises all screen phone and then hopefully the tech industry can move on to tackle yet another global crisis like still having to rent cable boxes for some reason speaking of crises if your small business is in crisis get freshbooks it's the small business accounting software that's custom built for how you want to work and it's a simple way to be more productive more organized and get paid faster with freshbooks you can create and send professional looking invoices in less than 30 seconds you can set up online payments with just a couple of clicks and get paid up to four days faster you can see when your client has seen your invoice to put an end to the guessing games and you can try it out for nothing they've got a 30 day free trial over at freshbooks.com techwiki just make sure you enter techquickie in the how did you hear about us section so thanks for watching guys like dislike check out our other videos and leave a comment if you have a suggestion for a future fastest possible that you'd love to see also oh yeah check out the uh ltt merch store lttstore.com we have cool shirts and hoodies like the ones i'm wearing oh yeah subscribewhat's your least favorite thing about smartphones the need to feel glued to them constantly paying for screen repairs over and over finding someone promising on tinder and then getting ghosted well if you ask me one of the most annoying things about them is the notch trend that has proliferated ever since the launch of the iphone 10 but as we explained in this video the notch wasn't just a design decision meant to be intentionally infuriating the point of it is to house components that can't be embedded inside the screen most notably the front-facing camera but the good news is that we may be getting rid of the notch for good very soon thanks in large part to the advent of under screen cameras manufacturers like xiaomi and oppo are already getting the ball rolling on all screen phones without gimmicks like sliding or motorized selfie cameras and that means that other phone makers probably aren't too far behind so how exactly did they pull this off i mean hidden cameras are nothing new but it's not often that you see them behind an actual working screen so here's how it works your phone's display assuming that you've got a mid-range to high-end model is made up of a layer of oled pixels that can generate their own light sandwiched between two layers the cathode and the anode that act as electrical terminals that provide a voltage that allows the screen to you know work now it's entirely possible to make the cathode and anode out of transparent materials meaning that you are essentially creating a see-through screen so in a phone with an under screen camera only a small part of the display is actually made to be transparent the area that's hiding the lens so during normal operation that area will function just like the rest of your screen but when you activate that selfie cam the oled pixels turn off allowing light to go straight through the display and into the camera lens additionally the screen above the camera is made with a special kind of glass that isn't as reflective as what normally covers the display to cut down on glare and distortion pretty cool right well although this technology definitely has the potential to make all of our phones look a lot sleeker it's still rather new meaning that there are some kinks to be worked out so at this time it's still possible to faintly see the camera behind the screen and the transparent layers and the low reflectivity glass mean that the display also won't look quite as good above the camera when you're not trying to take a photo furthermore there's the small matter of the actual image quality of the pictures that you snap i mean it's certainly a remarkable party trick to be able to bury the camera behind the screen but early reports indicate that the photos don't look as nice as they do on traditional selfie cams that aren't covered up by anything and this makes sense given that the last time i got a good look at a transparent oled display it clearly pardoned the pun didn't allow all of the light through with that said if you're sick of having a notch on your phone the trade-off might be well worth it for you especially if you don't actually take a ton of selfies now at the time of making this video there was no definitive timetable for when phones with underscreen cameras would be on the market but all signs point to them coming in the near future as opposed to years down the line so be on the lookout for the long-awaited no compromises all screen phone and then hopefully the tech industry can move on to tackle yet another global crisis like still having to rent cable boxes for some reason speaking of crises if your small business is in crisis get freshbooks it's the small business accounting software that's custom built for how you want to work and it's a simple way to be more productive more organized and get paid faster with freshbooks you can create and send professional looking invoices in less than 30 seconds you can set up online payments with just a couple of clicks and get paid up to four days faster you can see when your client has seen your invoice to put an end to the guessing games and you can try it out for nothing they've got a 30 day free trial over at freshbooks.com techwiki just make sure you enter techquickie in the how did you hear about us section so thanks for watching guys like dislike check out our other videos and leave a comment if you have a suggestion for a future fastest possible that you'd love to see also oh yeah check out the uh ltt merch store lttstore.com we have cool shirts and hoodies like the ones i'm wearing oh yeah subscribe\n"