Infinix has a new smartphone on the way, the Infinix S3X.
What is the X for? I also don’t know.
What I know for sure, though, is that it will have a notch.
See the link between another popular phone that has a notch and also has an X in its name?
Yes, those ugly things found on the top of most smartphones these days are also coming to a budget smartphone near you.
To be fair, though, the notch is not necessarily as bad a thing as my types will make you believe. It exists for a reason. Well, at least it does on the iPhone X.
What’s in a notch?
The cutout at the top of the device that we refer to as a “notch” is, for the most part, a representation of two things: the evolution of the smartphone and the failure to have a fusion of the appropriate technology and design to meet the demands of the consumer (for smaller or no bezels).
This is because the challenge all along has been how to be able to achieve an almost-bezel-less smartphone construction while still incorporating all the features that users have gotten used to that are enabled by several sensors that usually reside on the front alongside the earpiece.
The technology is there. Xiaomi has tried it with the piezoelectric razzmatazz on its first generation Mi Mix but as we saw on that device, that is not without its fault. In fact, Xiaomi has had to do a technical retreat along the way and refined its Mi Mix lineup in order to resonate well with the consumer and the way they use their devices, never mind that the Mi Mix started its life as an elite product that wasn’t intended for everyone.
The design is there as well. We are just fresh from being wowed by two other Chinese smartphone brands: OPPO and Vivo. However, going with mechanical parts like the two did on the Find X and the Nex respectively, has its own perks (everybody scream innovation) and flaws (watch this video).
Others have taken the route of incorporating a notch for the sake of having a notch. Because it’s stylish. Because that’s what users want (the iPhone X is just fresh from being Apple’s best-selling smartphone for the second quarter in a row). While all those reasons are valid, it has always been my view that the notch is a representation of a lazy approach to design. Of course, I could be wrong since I am not anywhere close to being a designer and these opinions are purely subjective.
So, the question now becomes, what’s necessitating a notch in the upcoming Infinix S3X?
For now, there is no answer to that question as details are quite sketchy and the only thing we have to show for these claims is a forum entry.
Argh.
