Samsung patents incredible wraparound smartphone screen design
Samsung has patented a design for an incredible wraparound display, which would extend the screen to the top edge and the back of a smartphone.
Let’s Go Digital reported unearthing a patent filing for a wraparound screen by Samsung on Wednesday. Aside from the regular front-facing screen, the new design proposes a mini-screen on the top edge of the device, which will presumably just show notifications. This sounds cool, but the true innovation is that the display spills onto the back of the device to provide another full screen on the rear.
The main implications of a new screen on the back are to do with photography. Firstly, you could use your rear camera as your selfie camera by turning the handset around and looking at the image of your face in the rear screen. This is likely to be an improvement because most selfie cameras are generally a significant step down in quality from the rear-camera set-up.
Another similar advantage comes into play when you take a close-up picture of someone else. As you frame the portrait by looking in the front screen, they can take a peak at their appearance in the rear screen and pose, avoiding the need for endless retakes.
Image Credit: Let’s Go Digital
Samsung has also come up with the idea of using the new screen as a translation tool. Two people could have a face-to-face conversation, with translations provided in each screen to the respective people chatting.
The design sketches submitted by Samsung also show a hand hovering over the device to activate it. This could be an identification system similar to Hand ID on the LG G8, which unlocks by recognising the veins in your raised hand. We found this to be a strange gimmick with little real-world applicability.
Overall, we’re excited for these innovations — but it does sound a bit impractical at this stage. How would you find a case to fit a handset like this? How could you avoid finger-smudges all over the device?
The Galaxy Fold – a product that in some people’s minds proved what works in theory may take quite a few years to work in practice – is another warning sign that leaves a little concerned about the practicality of a wraparound screen.
Would you buy a smartphone with Samsung’s patented wrapround screen? Let us know on Twitter: @TrustedReviews
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
