14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung is exploring new design ideas for its flagship phones and a recently-discovered patent provides us with a quick glimpse into how a future model could end up looking.
The patent, which was filed by Samsung in China and was spotted by Mobielkopen, details a new design approach that’s based on several parts borrowed from the iPhone, including the already controversial notch on the front.
However, it looks like Samsung’s aiming for a bigger screen-to-body ratio with even smaller bezels than those on the Galaxy S9 and the iPhone X despite the introduction of a notch. One particular highlight is the fingerprint sensor missing from the back, which could be an indication that Samsung is already looking into ways to either give up on this feature entirely or integrate it into the screen.
The latter is a project that Samsung is believed to be working on already, but people close to the matter said the company needs more time to get it ready before making it available on its devices.
iPhone 6-like back
A headphone jack is still being offered, so even though Samsung plans to embrace several new technologies, it still doesn’t want to get rid of the popular connector.
The back of the phone reminds of the iPhone 6, especially because of the cameras moved to the upper left corner and the antenna lines at the top and the bottom. On the other hand, the design pictured here relies on a dual-camera configuration in a horizontal layout, an approach that Apple itself used on the iPhone 7 Plus launched in 2016.
A second design idea (pictured below) imagines a full-screen approach with a single camera on the back, but again with no fingerprint sensor.
It goes without saying that this is still in patent stage and Samsung might only be looking into such a design, so there’s absolutely no guarantee it’ll ever come to fruition. On the other hand, with Samsung also exploring ways to expand the screen estate, it makes sense to consider alternatives like notches, despite this obviously increasing risks of people accusing the company of copying Apple.
