Speaking to The Verge, OnePlus has officially released the first image of the OnePlus 6. This new shot shows off the most controversial aspect of the phone, and it comes along with a message from OnePlus' co-founder Carl Pei.

Concerned over the hate notches have been getting, OnePlus co-founder decided to get ahead of the issue and explain to The Verge why it's going the notch route with the OnePlus 6 and why that doesn't make it just an iPhone copy.

First, Pei says that with the notch “what you are essentially doing is moving the entire notification bar up, giving users more content on their screen.” Putting things from this perspective, it was an easy choice for OnePlus to adopt the notch and give users the maximum screen space.

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As for the notch, OnePlus could have made it smaller, similar to the one on the Essential Phone, but the company actually wanted to keep key components like the ambient light sensor, LED light and front camera, so the notch is slightly larger. At the same time, OnePlus does not feel it needs to perform the complicated Face ID tactics for face recognition, so the notch will not be quite as big as on the iPhone. 

To ensure a good experience for its users, OnePlus says it has tested the “top 1,000 apps” on Google Play to see if a compatibility mode is needed for the device. To keep the software in check, OnePlus is also shifting the clock to the left side of the screen (like Android P) to “allow more room for status icons.”

The entire Android system with Android P onward will have support for the notch.  Google's first developer preview of Android P makes it clear that developers will able to create apps keeping in mind a notch on the new edge-to-edge displays.

OnePlus 6 will not be the only phone with a notch on the front. Suddenly for Android phones, with the exception of Samsung and its Galaxy S9 series, the notch is a favorite feature to add. In India, Oppo and Vivo have launched a new flagship phone each with a notch on the front. Oppo F7 and Vivo V9 both have an iPhone-style notch on the front.