As it turns out, the notch on the iPhone X proved to be far less of a divisive issue than initially anticipated. Though many people were quick to call the notch an unseemly distraction when Apple originally unveiled the device this past September, the reality is that the notch is far more conspicuous and irksome in pictures than it is in your hands. In short, the controversy over the iPhone X notch quickly evaporated once the device actually started shipping.
That said, Apple is reportedly interested in making the notch even smaller on future iterations of the iPhone. According to a new investor note from analysts at Barclays (originally obtained via MacRumors), the TrueDepth camera system that powers Face ID will reportedly be smaller on upcoming iPhone models. Consequently, the notch itself will occupy a smaller footprint on the front of the device.
Barclays’ note reads in part:
We do expect the sensor to evolve slightly, potentially reducing in size (i.e., smaller notch) and improving in specificity […] helping to further drive very strong growth [for some Apple suppliers] in 2H18 as the second generation of sensor ships in this year’s new iPhones.
Incidentally, this isn’t the first report we’ve seen which points to the iPhone X notch shrinking in size. Just last month, a report surfaced indicating that Apple has been working on a way to combine the iPhone X’s TrueDepth camera system with the device’s front-facing camera, a design that would result in a smaller notch.
Lastly, it’s worth mentioning that the Barclays note corroborates reports we’ve seen about the make-up of Apple’s 2018 iPhone lineup, which is to say that Apple later this year will introduce a trio of new iPhone models that all incorporate support for Face ID. As Ming-Chi Kuo noted not too long ago, Apple’s 2018 iPhone lineup will likely consist of a revamped iPhone X, a 6.5-inch iPhone X Plus, and a 6.1-inch iPhone with an edgeless LCD display.
