Earlier this week, we reported on a Huawei full-screen smartphone. To create a screen-filling screen, metal strips are placed on the sides of the device, which are attached with double-sided tape or glue. Although this design seems at first sight somewhat vulnerable, Samsung also sees a future in a similar design. Nonetheless, the Koreans opt for a slightly different method to arrive at a fullscreen smartphone.
Samsung fullscreen smartphone design
Samsung filed a patent on August 24, 2017, that today, June 21, 2018, has been approved by the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Office). The patent entitled ‘Display device and frame member’ is applicable to smartphones, but a similar design can also be used for TVs, monitors, and other electronic devices with a display.
The patented Samsung design has four strips attached to all sides of the device. The strips can be made from various materials, including metal, aluminum or patterned wood. The latter is in particular applicable to TVs.
So this is not about two strips, as was the case with Huawei, but about four comics. This creates an even larger screen-to-body ratio. A design like this comes very close to a screen-to-body ratio of 100%.
The strips are also fixed in a different way, namely by means of magnets. A permanent magnet or an electromagnet can be used for this. In addition, the strips have a U-shaped coupling structure, so that they can be snapped together for extra strength.
This also makes it possible for the user to replace the frame, similar to The Frame TV from Samsung. It would, of course, be very useful if users can replace the housing or the strips themselves, both in case of damage and to make the device different from other smartphone models.
The method of Huawei is dust and waterproof. These properties are not discussed in the Samsung patent. Nevertheless, Samsung’s fullscreen design looks firmer than that of Huawei, which is why it can also be used on larger display devices, such as TVs.
A similar technique is already used for the Samsung The Frame TV. It, therefore, seems a small step to also provide the next generation of smartphones with such strips.
