Samsung is continuing to work on futuristic smartphone form factors, with the latest report suggesting a handset with a completely surround display is on the way.
Devices with surround display boast a screen that wraps around the chassis, essentially transforming its exterior into a single panel, and Samsung's design is the most advanced we've seen yet.
Xiaomi's stunning Mi Mix Alpha attempted to pull off a similar feat, but the display is interrupted by a sliver of housing on one side. In Samsung’s case, the screen flows all the way around.
LetsGoDigital spotted the patent – published at the end of October – which offers 70 pages of details for Samsung's impressive design.
Samsung’s design is seamless, thanks to transparent housing, which harks back to a patent the company filed in January for a a completely transparent smartphone. There's no visible frame, and no camera notch – the handset utilises the under-display camera that Samsung has been working on and is rumored to debut in the Galaxy Z Fold 3.
It won’t have a flash, but will allow for video calls, and other such functions. Additionally, this camera will constantly detect its surroundings in order to establish which parts of the surround display to activate at any given time. For instance, if you place the phone face-down on the table, the camera will know to activate the rear surface.
This tech applies to the 'front-facing' camera but Samsung has adopted a novel solution for the camera on the reverse. The patent described a sliding form factor that reveals a secondary camera array.
Samsung is also challenging competitors like Oppo and LG, who are developing rollable smartphones – like the Oppo x 2021 – with a rollable handset of its own with the Galaxy Scroll.
