The display notch in LG's latest high-end smartphone -- the G7 ThinQ -- was greenlit only after the majority of a survey group said they either liked or didn't mind the design choice first found in the iPhone X.
LG surveyed over 1,000 people in the U.S., U.K., Italy, and South Korea early into work on the phone, the company explained to Engadget. The poll group was presented with a series of mockups, and only 30 percent objected to the notch design.
"Some people hated that design, [saying] it's like a man's bald head like mine," commented LG's head of product planning, Shintae Hong. "Some people said [it is] cool... It totally depends on their personal choices, preferences."
The notch on Apple's iPhone X has been controversial. Though many people are now used to it, some critics have felt that it can be jarring, particularly with video or app interfaces that don't fully accommodate it.
At the same time, a number of major and lesser-known Android phone makers have added notches, sometimes as a purely cosmetic choice meant to evoke the prestige of the iPhone X. A significant exception is the Essential Phone, which launched before Apple's flagship.
In LG's case, Hong remarked that the company is working towards a fully edge-to-edge display, and considers the G7 notch a stepping stone.
Apple is believed to be preparing three new iPhones for this fall, all of them with edge-to-edge displays. These include 5.8- and 6.5-inch OLED models, and a more affordable 6.1-inch LCD unit. The company isn't expected to drop notches until 2019.