{"id":152439,"date":"2025-06-29T11:46:58","date_gmt":"2025-06-29T11:46:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/in-2017-the-iphone-revolutionized-smartphones-and-along-the-way-marked-the-swan-song-for-fun-mobile-devices\/"},"modified":"2025-06-29T11:47:00","modified_gmt":"2025-06-29T11:47:00","slug":"in-2017-the-iphone-revolutionized-smartphones-and-along-the-way-marked-the-swan-song-for-fun-mobile-devices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/in-2017-the-iphone-revolutionized-smartphones-and-along-the-way-marked-the-swan-song-for-fun-mobile-devices\/","title":{"rendered":"In 2017, the iPhone revolutionized smartphones and, along the way, marked the swan song for fun mobile devices."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Do you remember the era of Nokia? It’s astonishing how, at its peak, the Finnish company launched numerous mobile phones, each one unique in its own right. From bizarre designs<\/a> to functionalities that seemed unthinkable, Nokia\u2019s mobile phone era was all about fun. But then\u2026 the iPhone arrived.<\/p>\n

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With the arrival of the first iPhone and its overwhelming success, the industry started to become more cautious, adopting a homogenized design that no one saw coming. Although there were advancements in thickness, camera quality, and flirtations with foldable screens, mobile phones began to resemble one another too much. Then came the iPhone X with its infamous notch.<\/p>\n

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This sparked a strange phenomenon: while many rushed to copy that \u2018notch\u2019, some brands dared to innovate further, striving to achieve the unattainable \u2018full-screen\u2019 mobile phone. There were various attempts, some more successful than others, but it marked a fun era where the industry allowed us to revel in quirky mobile designs.<\/p>\n

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The Prehistory of Full-Screen Phones<\/h2>\n
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\"iPhone<\/p>\n

The infamous notch on the iPhone X<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cIn my days, before the iPhone, there was already a phone with a completely full screen.\u201d If you thought that, you have a great memory and were well informed. But if you had OPPO N1 in mind, it wasn’t exactly the \u2018full-screen\u2019 that we discuss today.<\/p>\n

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\"In<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

When OPPO was almost unknown<\/strong> in the West, the N1 came along, boasting generous bezels along with something quite interesting on its upper edge: a rotating camera. This same camera could act as both the main and selfie lens. While it may have been a visual step forward, it still required manual positioning\u2014a concept that would only be refined many years later.<\/p>\n

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\n \"OPPO
\n \"OPPO<\/p>\n

The OPPO N1<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Launched in 2013, the N1 drew little attention outside niche circles. Perhaps a more noteworthy mobile was the Mi Mix from Xiaomi, which, by 2016, was beginning to make waves across Europe. This device had a significantly large chin but minimized the top and side bezels exceptionally.<\/p>\n

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Even with notches and bezels, the front cameras were placed differently, making the design both functional and distinct. Xiaomi ingeniously housed the front camera not at the top, but at the bottom<\/strong>. However, Xiaomi wouldn\u2019t officially enter Spain until late the following year.<\/p>\n

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\n \"Xiaomi<\/p>\n

Xiaomi Mi Mix with a large chin and bottom camera<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

However, just a year later, in September 2017, Apple unveiled the iPhone X, sending shockwaves through the industry.<\/p>\n

Honor and the Beginning of the \u2018Piercing\u2019 Trend<\/h2>\n

We won\u2019t follow a strict chronological order here, but it\u2019s fascinating to note the miniaturization of the notch. Apple hid a plethora of systems within that notch, but Android manufacturers without facial recognition systems<\/strong> faced fewer complications. They merely fitted in cameras, and other essential sensors.<\/p>\n

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\"HONOR<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

This is precisely the route that Honor took with its pioneering View 20 phone\u2014creating a form factor that initially shocked but later became a trend. Samsung also jumped on the bandwagon and moved their camera to the corner, punching a hole in the screen to imply that they had achieved a full-screen phone.<\/p>\n

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Honor View 20<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Interestingly, many phones with holes allowed users to \u2018hide\u2019 them by turning off the pixels in the OLED screen<\/a> where the holes were, thus undoing the intention of creating an \u2018expanded\u2019 screen and creating an asymmetrical front.<\/p>\n

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Our Thoughts at Xataka<\/h3>\n

\u201cWhether there will be a second part, whether it will be good or bad, we can affirm that the first attempt with punched screens has gone quite well for HONOR<\/strong>.\u201d This was our conclusion discussing the device, where we noted that the compact size didn\u2019t interfere with daily use. We also mentioned that we didn\u2019t see a clear advantage over notches, but they certainly had an edge over mechanical modules that were beginning to appear.<\/p>\n

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Honor View 20<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

We were also clear that hiding the hole would diminish the magic of that infinite screen illusion, showcasing another place where Android excelled: merging the toolbar with the hole.<\/p>\n

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OPPO Pushing Forward<\/h2>\n

2018 was a bustling year as every manufacturer tried to counter the iPhone X notch, but new players also entered the arena. One of them was OPPO, a brand hardly recognized in the West, who made its entrance with a bold statement: the OPPO Find X.<\/p>\n

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\n \"Oppo
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Oppo Find X<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Now this was a true \u201cfull-screen\u201d phone, thanks to a trick that wasn’t maximized\u2014the sliding screen<\/strong>. With incredibly slim bezels, it had neither notch nor hole. To access the front camera, you had to slide the screen to reveal the hidden cameras.<\/p>\n

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\n \"Oppo
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Oppo Find X with its sliding mechanism<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

When slided out, it automatically activated the camera. We saw this in just a few phones, but one memorable device was the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3, which effectively solved the main drawback of the Find X. In the Oppo, the rear cameras were also part of the sliding mechanism, which meant you needed to use that system for photos, risking wear on the components. The Mi Mix 3 simply concealed its front camera machinery.<\/p>\n

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What We Said at Xataka<\/h3>\n

We liked this phone for many reasons, yet we remained concerned about its mechanical system. We wrote that \u201cthe removable module is full of edges and corners that favor dust and other particulates<\/strong>, especially in areas with dense airborne particles.\u201d Nonetheless, we acknowledged that this phone catered specifically to particular users.<\/p>\n

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Clearly, this wasn\u2019t the most successful solution among manufacturers.<\/p>\n

Vivo Peeking Out<\/h2>\n

Another little-known Chinese company introduced a similar system, but focused exclusively on the front camera while minimizing the size of the retractable system. The Vivo Apex<\/a> in 2018 showcased a periscopic camera, later launching the Vivo Nex. Many manufacturers jumped aboard this concept.<\/p>\n

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Vivo Nex<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The POCO F2 Pro had a pop-up camera; the Honor 9X followed suit, as did the Realme X and Motorola One Hyper, even the high-end OnePlus 7 Pro adopted this style. However, a year and a half later, this trend began to fade in the high-end segment, as seen with the OnePlus 8 Pro reverting back to the hole design, and the mid-range quickly followed suit.<\/p>\n

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Then there was the LG Wing, featuring two screens, one of which could pivot and also housed a pop-up camera. Rest in peace.<\/p>\n

What We Said at Xataka<\/h3>\n

The love affair with pop-up cameras hidden in the center or on a side was brief. Also, the quirky \u2018shark-fin\u2019 design<\/strong> from Oppo Reno was an intriguing concept. While the Vivo Nex showed how innovative manufacturing could be, it also left us with many reservations.<\/p>\n

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\n \"Vivo
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\u201cThe Vivo Nex arrived amid the surge of punched screens, and despite the modulized approach earlier showcased in the OPPO Find X, we didn\u2019t feel like it was a turning point or the seed of a change. It likely served as an experiment from which to learn that a retractable module isn’t the most practical solution for achieving a full-screen design,\u201d we commented back then.<\/p>\n

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Asus in a Flip<\/h2>\n

But mechanical modules had not yet had their last say. In 2015, Honor did something unique with the Honor 7i<\/a>: they did not focus on a clear front, but wanted high-quality front-facing cameras. What did they do? Create a mechanism that allowed the back camera to convert into the front camera\u2014a sort of hinge for the camera.<\/p>\n

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The Asus Flipfone 6<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Asus seemed to have taken notes, as it later unveiled the Asus ZenFone 6 at an event in Spain. It took the idea further<\/strong> by doubling the cameras\u2014meaning the rear cameras could also serve as front-facing cameras, giving users the ability to customize their angle, resulting in a remarkable experience.<\/p>\n

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Samsung also sprang into action, launching the Galaxy A80, which brought together a sliding module along with rotating cameras (adding more complexity). The beauty of these innovations was that the primary cameras, superior for both video and selfies, became the only ones available on the phone.<\/p>\n

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What We Said at Xataka<\/h3>\n

Was it perfect? We didn\u2019t think so, but it was very intriguing. For the A80, we felt that while it wasn’t the best solution, it was another testament to how companies were innovating to eliminate the notch. Our conclusion was not, “oh, all phones should have a system like this”<\/strong>, but rather, “what a great feeling to have an almost infinite screen, but how impractical is the module,\u201d we noted in the review of the Samsung.<\/p>\n

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The Samsung A80’s camera<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

On the Asus side, we felt similarly. We weren\u2019t craving to see this in all devices going forward, and although the camera performance was good in optimal conditions, it had some software issues affecting photo processing. Perhaps that\u2019s why we were left with a somewhat bittersweet taste\u2026<\/p>\n

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Nubia and Absolute Madness<\/h2>\n

The mechanical systems had run their course. Manufacturers explored every conceivable avenue, and the market had voiced its sentiment (so strongly that these modules led to their own demise). But some still wanted to experiment<\/strong>, leading companies to insist on removing traditional cameras and incorporating\u2026 two screens.<\/p>\n

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