Adios Notchachos, Hello Dual Screen Display
- 4 minsPardon the Spanglish in the title but there lie my problem and solution to a popular, albeit flawed design trend in the smartphone industry–notched displays. Although it was not the first phone with a notch, Essential’s PH-1 is the first phone I saw with a notched display. I did not think much of the notch since Essential was a new and upcoming company trying to carve out a piece of the smartphone market. That was until Apple came along with the iPhone X and their ingenious FaceID.
| Essential P1 | iPhone X |
|---|---|
 |  |
FaceID is a biometric authentication system created by Apple used to unlock an iPhone X (and other X branded iPhones). In their quest for a near bezel-less display, Apple opted to house their FaceID technology along with a front-facing camera within a notched-display. Over the past year popular cell phone manufacturers such as Google, Huawei, Oppo, LG, OnePlus, and Xiaomi have all released or will release phones with a notched display. Like Essential and Apple before them, these manufacturers also chose to house tech ranging from cameras to speakers within their notched display. Watching the influx of smartphones sporting a notch displeased me (and many others). It is an attack on symmetry and a design flaw that eats into content users interact with such as games, videos, and even notifications. I’m not one to complain without coming up with solutions so I spent some time brainstorming and then it hit me: Dual. Screen. Display.
Sure, this may seem like an expensive solution to a simple problem but, it adds functionality to the phone. Stripping the front display of a front-facing camera, sensor, speakers, and the like will yield the much desired near bezel-less display–a design trend that was kickstarted by Xiaomi Mi Mix. Thanks to a LED dual-screen display, the front-facing camera can be done away with since the rear camera would be utilized for selfies. When shooting, a secondary display can even double as a mirror to help your subject get picture-ready before you snap a shot. When not in use for photography means, the secondary screen could be used to read akin to an e-paper display to read eBooks and other documents. To push its functionality even further, one could use the rear display for task lists, calendar events, or to display a QR code for airport check-in.
Now to the elephant in the room: biometric authentication. Although one could turn the phone to its rear to unlock it using facial recognition, who would want that? ‘Sides, facial recognition as the primary means to unlock a device is poor user experience. In my opinion, a fingerprint scanner is still the best way to unlock a smartphone. But where would it go? I thought about the concept device sporting the scanner on its side but, depending on what side it’s on it won’t be friendly to right-hand or left-hand users. Then I thought, why not the back of the phone? Technology is at a place where in-display scanners are a reality and adding it to the rear display continues to add to the second display’s functionality.
To the company that embarks on this endeavor, feel free to write me a check for my troubles.
Or you know…just design a phone with a full-screen display and an in-display fingerprint scanner but a dual-screen solution would be a lot more fun.
See also
A case for this concept device would be otherworldly and dropping it would result in tears.
YotaPhone - It did not directly inspire my idea but, it is the “world’s first dual-screen always-on smartphone.”
Xiaomi Mi Mix - The phone whose display was the envy of every other smartphone. I urge you to read about its innovative design.
PhoneArena - A short list of phones with a fingerprint scanner on the side.
The Verge - A write-up and video about the first phone with an in-display sensor.
Osi Otugo
Batman (with prep) if he had a full time job