Having already mastered zero-bezel on sides with the Galaxy S8 series, Samsung — the leading smartphone-maker — is all set to take the smartphone design to an all new level.
Dutch blog LetsGoDigital has got an exclusive scoop on Samsung's patent registered at World International Property Office (WIPO) showing that the company has succeeded in bending phone's front display up to 180-degree on all sides top, bottom, left and right.
With this new technological feat, Samsung has made the physical buttons such as power and volume rockers obsolete. Furthermore, with extra display on all corners, the company will be able to use touch-sensitive on-screen buttons to function as physical keys and also offer AOD (Always-On Display) feature to display notifications.
The current Galaxy S8 and the Note8 series phones too have the AOD feature, but it drains a lot of battery. However, only the specific small side of the edge will be lit in the new phone, so it won't affect battery life.
With wireless charging and Bluetooth-based cordless headphones gaining acceptance, USB port, 3.5mm audio jack and the speaker grille we see in the Galaxy S8 and Note8, will also be gone in future Samsung phones.
As far the speaker grille is concerned, Samsung's wonder-phone can still be able beam loud audio by using advanced acoustic technology.
Rival Xiaomi has incorporated a similar feature in its Mi Mix 2. It boasts a "Cantilever Piezoelectric Ceramic Acoustic Technology', which acts as a resonance booster, pushing the audio in all directions both from the metal frame on the sides and the screen on top, thus saving the company from drilling a hole for voice speaker on the front-panel and making the device aesthetically beautiful.
Xiaomi is said to have achieved this feat by using a 50mW membrane speaker, a sound guiding tube and a sound hole.
Samsung, being the world-leader in smartphones, has highly-skilled engineers and other resources to develop a similar if not better technology.
However, there is one concern. With all of the front-panel dedicated to the display, where will the front-camera go? Rumour has it that Samsung might use an in-screen camera module similar to the in-screen fingerprint technology.
It has to be noted that an in-screen fingerprint sensor is not yet available in any of the commercial phones in the markets, but the technology has been developed by Qualcomm, and even Samsung has filed a patent on this technology.
If things fall in place, it is expected to come in the 2018-series marquee phones.
LetsGoDigital has come up with a graphic concept image of the wonder-phone by taking all relevant the information from the Samsung zero-bezel display's patent papers, and it looks spectacular.
With back-lit keys on the top-left edge and the display enveloping whole of the front panel right to till the mid-section of the frame on the edge, the Samsung's wonder-phone looks gorgeous.
Fans will surely be thrilled to get one in their hands, and it will most probably tempt Apple admirers to dump their iPhone X, which houses an awkward notch on the top to accommodate the camera module.
However, there is no information on when Samsung might implement this display technology in their phones.
