Android ‘Pastachio Ice Cream’ may embrace the notch with major design changes
Android 5.0 Lollipop was the basis of a major new design language for Android, ushering in the area of Material Design after years of a more amateur and daated look compared to contemporaries such as webOS and iOS. It’s served nicely thus far, but it seems Google could be feeling that things are getting a bit stale.
According to Bloomberg, Android P will usher in a major new design change. While the details of the change aren’t plentiful, there was one big revelation: they want to embrace the notch.
We’ve seen the notch design in phones like Essential’s PH-1, where the screen is split at the top to make way for cameras, sensors, speakers and the like. Essential had to do some hacky work to make that happen, and it doesn’t always result in a great look for third-party apps.
Elsewhere, Google is said to be looking to emphasize Google Assistant as a core part of the Android experience. While it’s already pretty easily accessible on the many devices able to use it today, a renewed focus could mean even tighter integration and better third-party support.
The report suggests other focuses will include battery improvements, support for more form factors like foldable or multiple displays, and an overall design overhaul to attract those oh-so-valuable iPhone fans. Oh, and we have a name to poke around with now: Pistachio Ice Cream, which may only be used internally as Google works on it.