While Apple has opted to go with a flat display in the iPhone 12 — to the adulation of many tech reviewers tired of curved displays — it seems that Samsung is taking screens that melt off the edge to the next level.
Per a patent filed by Samsung in late October, found by Dutch website Let’s Go Digital, it shows a design for a possibly Samsung Galaxy S21 that makes the Galaxy Fold 2 look tame.
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Much like Xiaomi’s Mi Mix Alpha, the Galaxy S21 could go for a display that wraps around the entire device. Unlike the Mi Mix Alpha, which had a stripe that cut the display off to house a camera module, Samsung is seemingly working around this by creating a sliding mechanism.
Yes, just like the sliding feature phones from 15 years ago, per the patent filing, this new phone will employ a similar mechanism to reveal its cameras. Let's Go Digital also put together a video showing off its render. Know that this is not an official video by Samsung.
If this is true, then in reality, this Galaxy S21 model isn't a phone with a true wrap-around display. Instead, it's two curved displays sandwiched together.
And what about the front-facing camera? Well, Samsung could utilize an in-display camera, meaning no camera hole or notch will be necessary. However, we've heard that the Galaxy S21 will indeed have a punch hole. So this could be a separate model altogether or perhaps an early look at a completely new Samsung phone.
There's no set release date for the Galaxy S21, but rumors suggest it will launch in January of 2021. Check out our Galaxy S21 hub to read up on all the latest leaks.
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Imad is currently Senior Google and Internet Culture reporter for CNET, but until recently was News Editor at Tom's Guide. Hailing from Texas, Imad started his journalism career in 2013 and has amassed bylines with the New York Times, the Washington Post, ESPN, Wired and Men's Health Magazine, among others. Outside of work, you can find him sitting blankly in front of a Word document trying desperately to write the first pages of a new book.