The notch has been a controversial subject in the smartphone industry ever since the Essential Phone was announced almost a year ago, and the past few months have seen more and more OEMs adopt this design trend. WinFuture recently shared exclusive renders of a concept device ZTE's working on, and it features not one, but two notches in its display.
The phone in question is currently referred to as the ZTE Iceberg, and similar to what we've seen on other handsets, the notch at the top of its screen is home to a front-facing camera, ambient light sensor, and an earpiece for phone calls. At the bottom is where you'll find the Iceberg's second notch, and this houses another front-facing speaker that can be used in conjunction with the earpiece for stereo audio.
Having two cut-outs in the display certainly isn't my preferred design choice, but it does allow the rest of the Iceberg's front to be virtually all screen. It's a unique look, but it's not the only unconventional part of the phone.
On all four corners of the Iceberg are raised edges of glass the stick out further than what we see on most smartphones. It gives the Iceberg an even more iconic look, but I don't even want to think about what'll happen to the phone with a small drop on concrete or a wood floor.
Rounding out the phone are dual cameras on the back, a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, and some sort of smart connector that could allow for ZTE's own take on Motorola's Moto Mods.
ZTE's apparently touting the Iceberg as a phone for "after 2018", but even then, there's no guarantee it'll ever hit store shelves.
What's your take on the Iceberg?
Display notches are fine, but companies are doing a horrible job justifying them
