“While Apple rarely shows up — publicly at least — to trade shows like Mobile World Congress (MWC), its presence is still felt,” Mike Murphy writes for Quartz. “Apple’s latest smartphone, the $1,000 iPhone X, has been on sale since November, and it seems that more than a few mobile manufacturers have been busy copying one of the most-derided aspects of the phone’s design: the notch that houses its front-facing cameras.”
“Wandering around the more far-flung halls of MWC in Barcelona this week, I came across several smaller companies actively copying Apple’s awkward design,” Murphy writes. “Take this one from Shenzhen-based Oukitel, whose representative proudly told me that the company was the first to mimic the iPhone’s design. The phone, called the U18, is marketed with the succinct tagline, ‘Best for future!’ On Alibaba, it can be yours for just $160.”
Then there’s a “knock-off (notch-off?) from Leagoo, a Chinese company that is makes a big deal out of of its sponsorship with English soccer club Tottenham Hostpur. The S9 phone, which confusingly shares the same name as Samsung’s newest phone, also claims to be the ‘first Android notch display,'” Murphy writes. “The notches on these phones are not accounted for by the Android operating system software, meaning notifications and other information at the top of the screen are simply cut off.”
Read more, and see more fake iPhone X notches, in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Idiots peddling junk to idiots.
SEE ALSO:
Apple will require all new iOS apps to support iPhone X notch from April – February 16, 2018
Google’s next Android version to mimic Apple’s iPhone X notch – February 12, 2018
New leak reveals significant iPhone design changes as Apple looks to correct notch design abomination – January 17, 2018
M.G. Siegler reviews Apple’s iPhone X: Certainly the best smartphone I have ever used, despite the weird and awkward notch – November 21, 2017
How annoying is the iPhone X notch – November 1, 2017
The Verge reviews Apple’s iPhone X: Clearly the best iPhone ever made, despite being marred by its ugly notch – November 1, 2017
Above Avalon’s first impressions of Apple’s iPhone X: ‘An entirely new iPhone experience’ – October 31, 2017
Apple reminds developers to design around iPhone X’s notch – October 28, 2017
We’ll get used to iPhone X’s ugly notch, even if we don’t end up liking it – October 23, 2017
Sloppiness: Apple’s inconsistent iPhone X design guides show attention to detail is no longer a priority – October 13, 2017
It’s not all screen: Apple’s stretching the truth with iPhone X marketing – October 3, 2017
Joshua Topolsky: Apple is really bad at design – October 1, 2017
Apple’s botched ‘notch’ atop iPhone X’s display is a design abomination – September 15, 2017
Apple is turning a design quirk into the iPhone X’s defining feature: Leaning into the notch – September 14, 2017
The lessons and questions of Apple’s iPhone X and iPhone 8 – September 13, 2017
Apple embraces that ugly notched cutout in OLED ‘iPhone’s display – August 30, 2017
It’s time we embraced Apple’s notched/cutout OLED iPhone display – August 11, 2017
No real surprise there. Take a look at history:
Desktops before and after the iMac
Laptops before and after the MacBook
MP3 players before and after the iPod
Cell phones before and after the iPhone
And now, before and after the iPhone X
Don’t forget that before they were called laptops, portable computers including Apple’s first Macintosh Portable had the keyboard on the bottom part furthest from the hinge immediately next to the front. Users would type by resting their wrists on the desk, with their fingers on the keyboard.
When Apple introduced their first PowerBook in 1991, the keyboard was moved close to the hinge, leaving a space for users to support their wrists.
Apple’s PowerBook was the first laptop. Prior to that, portable computers needed to be operated on a flat surface. It was another Apple innovation which has been universally copied.
Macintosh portable :-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macintosh_Portable
PowerBook 100 :- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PowerBook_100
Still more than a month away from April Fools Day 🤡
One would think if a feature is criticized, reviled and hated as much as the iPhone X notch is said to be that no company would copy it. Go figure.
Because it’s not really.
Apple knew exactly what they were doing with the notch; making the iPhone X distinctive. My local news channels have all changed their generic “smartphone” silhouette to the notched iPhone X.
Hated by a few, loved by many, and without any significance whatsoever to most.
“criticized, reviled and hated as much as the iPhone X notch”
By a very small number of people who think their virulent and incessant negativity is much more important than it actually is.
It would be really nice if MDN could actually say something sensible and positive about the notch. To 99% of iPhone X owners the notch means nothing/zero/zilch. The fact that other makers are copying it shows what kudos it has. It’s there for a damn good reason until they can figure out how to hide the sensors beneath the display.
I am tired of all the whining about the “notch”. Get over yourselves! Don’t like it? Don’t buy it!
The “notch” is not a design flaw. It’s the way it has to be in order to work the (marvelous) way it does. If you believe it “interferes” with your visual experience, you don’t deserve an iPhone X. Get an 8 and enjoy the experience. Just stop whining about it. And this includes you, MDN.
Steve Carl
Why are you so upset some folks don’t like the notch? Of course, someone who thinks the notch is an aesthetic flaw would purchase another phone. These people aren’t chastising your choice of phone, they are only stating a reason why they didn’t purchase the same phone as you.
Your anger and angst regarding over easy or sunny side up fried eggs is particularly bizarre.
This kind of commentary kills me, it’s so scrambled.
The Notch sucks the fact that these Chinese companies are copying it is sad….
Before the “notch” that identifies your face, there mostly was painted metal doing nothing. Now all that vacant space is doing something useful.
I think Steve Jobs would have considered the notch shitty design and would not have allowed it on a released product.
Are you talking about the same Steve Jobs who approved the design of a circular mouse where it wasn’t obvious which way it was orientated? You might like to check out the luxury yacht which he had built to his specifications. Lets not forget the problems encountered if you held your original iPhone 4 the “wrong way”.
Steve Jobs was undoubtably a genius and generally displayed excellent taste, but he made plenty of missteps too. People who never made mistakes never made anything.
Steve Jobs wasn’t aways right, but when he got it right, he generally got it spectacularly right.