Calm down, OnePlus 6 will let you cover up the notch after all

OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has once again waded into the OnePlus 6 notch controversy to deliver what should be good news for disgruntled fans. In a reply on the official OnePlus forums (via The Verge), Lau noted that the company has taken feedback on board and will implement a notch “blackout” feature.

Judging by Lau’s description, the blackout feature will work similarly to the notch toggle HUAWEI implemented for the P20 series. While the notch will still technically be there, OnePlus 6 users will have the option to cover the notification bar either side of the cutout with a black background, thus removing any indentation in the screen while using apps and other functions in portrait or landscape mode.

The Chinese OEM had apparently considering implementing a feature during the phone’s early development but abandoned it to focus on improving the overall experience.

Although hiding the notch won’t maximize the potential of the OnePlus 6’s full-screen display, according to Lau, the outcry for the feature was too hard to ignore.

Unfortunately for ardent notch-haters, the blackout feature won’t be available at launch, and will instead arrive in a later update. Considering the widespread backlash against OnePlus’ decision to adopt the notch in the first place, it’ll be interesting to see if the option to ostensibly remove it will calm the legions of dissenters.

The heated debate kicked off after OnePlus co-founder boldly remarked that phone users should “learn to love the notch”. The rather combative stance drew substantial criticism from the OnePlus fanbase. In fact, the comment section in every OnePlus-related post we’ve published in the past few days has inevitably centered on the topic.

The fact that the feature won’t be ready for launch is a bit of a downer—even if it does imply that the OnePlus 6 can’t be far from launch based on the timeframe—and Pei’s words will perhaps still leave a bitter taste for some folks.

Personally, though, I think this is the best OnePlus can do right now. Asking for a complete u-turn on the notch wouldn’t be financially viable at what must be a late stage of development.

It’s also worth noting that OnePlus has always appeared to take community feedback to heart over the years. To me, this is yet another example of the firm genuinely listening to its fan-base and attempting to make amends. Is it too little too late, though? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.