Most of the smartphone manufacturers are now looking to offer full-screen devices with almost no bezels and high screen-to-body ratio. So, while some opted for a notched display, a few with a pop-up mechanism, some started offering devices with a punch-hole cutout for housing the front-facing camera.
Now, according to a report from Yonhap News Agency, citing Samsung’s vice president of its display R&D group, Yang Byung-Duk, the South Korean giant is working on making the entire front of its phones a screen, with no need for bezels or a camera cutout of any kind.
However, he said that “it wouldn’t be possible to make (a full-screen smartphone) in the next 1-2 years, the technology can move forward to the point where the camera hole will be invisible, while not affecting the camera’s function in any way.”
The report comes just a month after Samsung launched its latest flagship smartphones — Galaxy S10 lineup, which features a punch-hole cut-out for the front-facing camera. Yang says that S10’s Infinity-O display is a “milestone” for the company but he also suggested that Samsung eventually plans to place the selfie camera under the display itself without the need for any cutout or pop-up mechanism.
Samsung’s ultimate goal is to make a smartphone with all of the sensors embedded beneath the screen. It is also considering the development of Crystal Sound OLED display, which can make the screen double as a speaker. LG has already used the same technology in its latest smartphone, G8 ThinQ.
At this time, Yang hasn’t provided any further details on when Samsung’s “perfect full-screen” phone might be ready. But he has surely hinted that the phone won’t be ready within a couple of years. Let’s see if any other company beats the company in this.
