Galaxy S10: Samsung’s Recent Patent Features A Clever Workaround For Apple’s ‘Notch’
Samsung stands as one of the few Android smartphone makers that have staunchly resisted the trend of copying Apple’s notch on the iPhone X. As could be seen in the designs of Samsung’s flagship devices, the South Korean tech giant has opted to continue adopting its template from 2017 until today, while the rest of the industry, including big names such as Google and upstart brands such as OnePlus, Oppo, and Vivo, have wholly embraced Apple’s notch.
If a recent patent published by the U.S. Patent Office is any indication, however, there is a good chance that Samsung would never release a notched smartphone. According to a report from Dutch mobile website Mobiel Kopen, a recently published patent reveals that Samsung is working on a smartphone design with practically no bezels on the sides and at the bottom of the device. The earpiece and other sensors on the front of the smartphone are all set up in an incredibly thin edge at the top of the handset.
The result is a smartphone with a unified appearance, absent of any breaks on the display’s flow like Apple’s iPhone X and other Android flagships today. As noted in a Forbes report, Samsung would accomplish this by curving the screen of the smartphone around the bottom of the device itself, with the connectors being placed at the rear. This clever design element allows Samsung to extend the screen all the way to the back of the handset, essentially creating a device with both front and rear screens.
New Samsung Galaxy patent reveals a bezl-less phone with two screens – https://t.co/PW899OIqm7 pic.twitter.com/f764gV9Ghc
— PhoneArena (@PhoneArena) June 22, 2018
The recently published patent does not specify exactly which future smartphone the design is for. Considering all the leaks and rumors about the Galaxy S10 being another breakthrough device for the South Korean tech giant, however, there is a chance that the patent could correspond to the upcoming 2019 flagship. As noted by the Dutch publication, however, the rather sharp edges on the device illustrated in the patent seems to suggest that Samsung would likely debut the innovative design with a Note series smartphone.
If there is one thing missing from the recently published patent, however, it would be a headphone jack. The extinction of the headphone jack was initiated by Apple back in 2016 with the iPhone 7, and many Android smartphone manufacturers have since followed suit. Even Google, which mocked the removal of the headphone jack in the iPhone 7 in its ads for the Pixel and Pixel XL, ultimately decided to retire the jack with the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. If Samsung’s recently published patent is any indication, it seems like it would only be a matter of time before Samsung adds another nail on the headphone jack’s coffin.
