Google And Lenovo Are Reportedly Differing On Whether To Adopt The Notch

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The big smartphone design question of 2018: To notch, or not to notch?

It's a mouthful, yes, but after the release of Apple's iPhone X last year, it appears that every Android smartphone maker is giving this question a lot of thought for their 2018 lineups.

[Related: Head-To-Head: Apple iPhone X Vs. Google Pixel 2 XL]

Already, companies including LG, OnePlus and Huawei have unveiled new smartphones featuring a cutout at the top for the front-facing camera.

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Now, a Bloomberg report suggests that Google is planning to do the same by including a notch in this fall's Pixel 3 XL. That's a bit of a surprise, given that Google has tried in the past to make the Pixel lineup a different species from the iPhone—on everything from design (such as with the "Panda" color scheme) to voice control (with the Google Assistant being far more adept than Siri).

Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

We'll see how Samsung rules on the notch question in future releases, but at least one vendor, Lenovo, is now proclaiming that there is no notch necessary.

Lenovo has revealed that its upcoming smartphone, the Z5, will have a 95 percent screen-to-body ratio—and will not sport a camera notch. That would appear to make the Z5 the closest thing we have yet to an "all-screen" phone.

By comparison, the notch-less Samsung Galaxy S9+ reportedly has a screen-to-body ratio of 84.2 percent.

Michael Goldstein, president and CEO of LAN Infotech, a Lenovo partner in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., said in an email to CRN that he's excited to see Lenovo "keep up the innovations" in the mobile realm.

"The phone looks amazing, and it's great to have another choice of device," Goldstein said.

Lenovo plans to officially introduce the Z5 on Tuesday, June 5, in Beijing.

Let the Great Notch Debate of 2018 continue.