OnePlus 6 Will Let Users Hide the Notch, CEO Pete Lau Confirms

OnePlus 6 is among the several smartphones of 2018 that will come with the Apple iPhone X-like notch, the Chinese manufacturer had already confirmed last month. Later, in a forum post, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau provided an extensive justification around the implementation of the notch on the upcoming flagship handset. Now, the company has reassured its fans that the smartphone will come with an option to hide the notch as well.

In the same forum post, responding to a user comment regarding the notch feature, Lau said that OnePlus will now offer the option to black out the " the background of the notifications and status bar." This feature will be similar to the one found in the recently launched Huawei P20. The notch-hiding feature in the OnePlus 6 will be available in a software update after the release of the smartphone, according to Lau. This again suggests the imminent arrival of his company's upcoming handset.

Lau, in the forum post, says, "A black-out feature was seriously considered in the early stages of the development of the OnePlus 6. At the time we decided against adding this feature. We wanted to focus all of our time and resources on delivering an exceptional full-screen experience. I still believe the best way to experience the OnePlus 6 is using the full potential of the display.

He also added, "Recently many users have raised interest in having a black-out function. We respect your feedback and would like to give everyone the ability to choose. This function will enable you to black out the background of the notifications and status bar. It will be added in a future software update released after the launch of the OnePlus 6. Look forward to sharing this new update with you all. Thank you for making us better!"

While OnePlus usually launches its smartphones in June every year, but with the number of notch discussions floating around the Internet, the OnePlus 6 launch may happen sooner. OnePlus has already claimed that the displays it chose for the OnePlus 6 are optimised for a "notch-based design" and offer better quality in terms of brightness levels, chromatic accuracy, and colour range.

Apart from the notch, OnePlus has also confirmed that OnePlus 6 will come equipped with a Snapdragon 845 SoC, coupled with up to 8GB of RAM. Also, one of the OnePlus 6 variants will come with 256GB of inbuilt storage. As per a leaked image, the OnePlus 6 may also come in a wood-inspired back panel design. Additionally, OnePlus had disclosed that it is teaming up with Marvel Studios, possibly to launch an Avengers-themed OnePlus 6 variant - since the movie's release date is April 27 - we may see a launch as early as then. Also, in a latest teaser and forum section, the company had officially confirmed the "6" moniker for its next smartphone.

When it comes to the pricing, the 64GB variant of the OnePlus 6 will reportedly be priced at CNY 3,299 (roughly Rs. 34,200), the 128GB variant is said to be launched at CNY 3,799 (roughly Rs. 39,300), while the top-end 256GB model might set you back by about CNY 4,399 (roughly Rs. 45,600).

Do Oppo F7 and Vivo V9 show what to expect from OnePlus 6? We discussed that on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.