14 DAY TRIAL // There have been lots of rumors surrounding Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4 phablet, which has been confirmed to go official on September 3 at IFA 2014 trade fair.
The initial rumors claimed the smartphone could boast an incredible three-sided display of unknown size, but later leaks dismissed this wild speculation.
Today, Zdnet Korea is back with yet another rumor concerning an unannounced Samsung smartphone that could feature such an innovative display. According to a source in the supply chain, Samsung is now testing a revolutionary smartphone that packs a three-sided display.
This is still a prototype, which means we might not even hear about it this year. Samsung already demoed all kinds of displays for smartphones during CES and MWC trade fairs in the last couple of years.
Flexible, three-sided and even rollable displays have been shown at various conferences, but they all remained as prototypes. The only slightly impressive handset that was equipped with such innovative components was the Samsung Galaxy Round, which sports a curved display.
However, Samsung Galaxy Round was only released as a testing device, so it was only available in South Korea. The handset maker did not share any details on customer feedback regarding this particular product, so it’s unclear whether or not Samsung is likely to produce a similar device anytime in the future.
The good news is that the South Korean company is now more serious about these crazy ideas and is actively experimenting with at least one prototype. If it proves viable for mass market production, Samsung’s smartphone with three-sided display would probably be an instant cash grab for the handset maker.
According to the cited source, the prototype that’s now being tested by Samsung should eliminate the bezels and place all the necessary buttons on either side of the display.
The removal of the bezels will result in much larger screens that would still feel comfortable in your hand. Samsung has already registered a few patents for this type of product, so we shouldn’t be surprised if the company comes up with a mass production unit.
Unfortunately, Zdnet Korea’s source claims that, for the time being, it’s unclear whether Samsung will be able to actually produce the innovative device massively or if it will be released as a limited edition premium smartphone for a handful of markets.
Well, that is to be expected given the fact that the smartphone is still in testing. Samsung is likely to make a decision when the tests are over, so here is hoping we will hear about this so-called three-sided smartphone sooner rather than later.
