Poll: Which approach should Apple take to the status bar in the iPhone 8?

When we first started seeing renders based on the ‘notch’ design now expected for the iPhone 8, the cameras, sensors and speakers stood out as they were shown surrounded by visible screen.

We yesterday saw a render based on a different approach: turning the status bar black so that it blends in with the notch, at least if the front of the phone is black. This provides a much neater look, though it could be argued that it detracts from the ultra-thin bezel appearance.

We’ve now been sent a mockup based on a third possible approach …

One issue with the notch eating into the status bar is that it leaves room for fewer data fields. In particular, the clock is currently in the center of the screen.

Designer Gabriel Moro has created a render in which the status bar information is compressed, so that there’s enough room for the same amount of information, but in a tighter format (above). This maximizes the data that can be displayed, but in a slightly less friendly form.

Which approach do you think Apple should take? Retain the current screen color so that the status bar continues to blend in with the rest of the screen? Make it black, so it instead blends in with the notch, but can display less information? Or make it black and use a compressed format to squeeze the same number of fields into a smaller space?

You can see the three approaches here:

Please take our poll, and share your thoughts in the comments.

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