Horizontal v/s vertical touchscreens in cars: What's your preference?

BYD has attempted to keep both parties happy with a rotating screen on both, the Atto 3 & Seal.

BHPian Aditya recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Touchscreen infotainment head-units have been a norm in cars for a while now. Traditionally, these used to be mounted with a horizontal (landscape) orientation along the dashboard or just above it.

Most horizontally oriented touchscreens are integrated into the dashboard:

In some cars like the BMW X1 and Kia Seltos, the horizontally oriented touchscreen looks like an extension of the instrument cluster:

Some manufacturers have also experimented with a vertical (portrait) orientation. We have been seeing this for quite a while in Volvos and MGs. Now, other manufacturers such as Mercedes have started adopting this vertical orientation as well.

Some manufacturers have integrated the touchscreens into the dashboard...

...while others have adopted a tablet-like approach:

Some of us, who are used to the horizontal orientation of touchscreens in cars find the vertical setup loathsome. However, many prefer vertical orientation.

BYD has attempted to keep both parties happy. In the Atto3 and Seal, they provide a touchscreen head unit that can be rotated at the touch of a button:

So, which way would you want a touchscreen head unit to be oriented and why?

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

If the real estate is available on the dashboard, then I'd prefer the Portrait / Vertical mode because that is what 99% of us use on our smartphones too. Just feels so much better to use.

Of course, now you have OEMs like BYD who allow you to flip it on the go.

Here's what BHPian MotorDev had to say on the matter:

Horizontal touchscreens are definitely my preference. I find vertical ones out of place and distracting, and they somehow make the interior look cheaper. Horizontal screens offer a clearer view and are positioned higher up, so they're less distracting while driving.

Here's what BHPian DicKy had to say on the matter:

Do any of us have vertically oriented TVs at home?

Same. Prefer horizontally oriented screens any day. Our eyes are side by side, not stacked on top of the other. The reason why smartphone interfaces are designed so is for ease of one-hand operation.

IMO, companies that go for vertically oriented screens are doing so for two reasons.

1. They want to integrate most controls and do away with any physical buttons/knobs/dials. Vertical allows them to have something like climate control at a fixed position at the bottom, while others are on top.
2. Their core values are now for designing a computer on wheels instead of a mobile vehicle that is to be piloted by human beings.

I am kinda okay-ish with the vertical ones in Subarus and Volvos that still retain some physical controls, but otherwise, vertical screens put me off IRL so much that in my eyes, the desirability of Mercedes Benz has gone really down for their present generation. Those fingerprint marks on the screens on a bright sunlight day. Ugh...

Here's what BHPian PrasannaDhana had to say on the matter:

How about No Touchscreens please?

There is that charm about all analogue dash without screens. I really do miss those days.

Now almost all cars come with touchscreens

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.