SAMSUNG

Company patents display design with reverse notch

Samsung filed a patent request with the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) last year for the reverse notch. The request was approved in September this year. Mockup renders of the technology have just surfaced According to the patent description, the design features a display module attached to the back of the cover, including a protruding portion at the top centre of the smartphone. The screen size can be effectively maximized by placing the front camera, sensors and speaker within the protruding notch.
Although this is an innovative solution from a functional point-of-view, it is a design nightmare. Smartphones such as the Sharp Aquos R3 have been presented with alternate designs such as the dual notch, but Samsung’s reverse notch is a first. In fact, every uniquely-designed smartphone in the recent past aims to fight this space crunch. Be it with the pop-up camera, waterdrop notch, punch-hole screens, rotating camera or dual-display.
The under-display camera module is the latest attempt to create a truly bezel-less smartphone. However, it is too early to comment since the technology is in the early stages of development. Samsung, Xiaomi and Oppo are the frontrunners at the moment, although, other manufacturers might be secretly working on a similar technology.

Anvinraj Valiyathara