Around 300 million smartphones — which equates to 19 per cent of the total devices to be sold in 2018 globally — will have a notch display, a new report said on Thursday. Huawei, Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi smartphones with notch displays (a little black cut-out on top of the smartphone screen) are likely to exceed 100 million units in sales in 2018, said market research firm Counterpoint. “Android smartphones will contribute to 55 per cent of such devices and most of the tier-one Android Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) will embrace notch displays in their flagships first,” Counterpoint added.
The adoption of notch displays in sub-$200 price segments from tier-one brands will depend on competitive pressure and consumer feedback. Cupertino-headquartered Apple will lead the segment by capturing 45 per cent of devices with notch displays. Apple is also expected to adopt notch display in its next series of iPhones.
Android creator Andy Rubin’s Essential Phone was first to embrace the notch display. iPhone X users decided to embrace the notch and the trend has recently shifted to Android camp with tier-one brands launching their flagships with notch displays. Smartphones such as Asus Zenfone 5 was launched during Mbile World Congress (MWC), followed by OPPO F7, Vivo V9, Huawei P20 and P20 Pro are some devices that feature notch screen design.
