Samsung Galaxy S10: so this is what the new notch-free design looks like. Or maybe not.
A new patent could reveal the final design of the Samsung Galaxy S10. It doesn’t have to disclose the shape, but it’s a strong indication of how the S10 might look.
Samsung keeps its cards close to its chest when it’s due to launch a new phone. Nevertheless, intrepid reporters claim to know what Samsung’s new portable device with an image capture function will look – thanks to user Joestew77 for this great term from the comments section (in German). The Dutch guys at LetsGoDigital magazine are making a name for themselves by trawling through patents and patent applications to uncover the designs of new phones.
The same is true of the new Samsung Galaxy S10 and the larger S10+. Or, rather, we have a suggestion of what it could look like.
Infinity-O as a gateway to all-glass screens
Before the analysis comes the image. This is what the new Galaxy S10 looks like. Maybe. Probably. Or not.
Source: LetsGoDigital.org
The lack of notch is particularly noteworthy. Samsung has never got in on the act, but the notch – a recess in the top of the screen which houses the camera and speaker – is something you expect on phones with an all-screen front. There is a small cut-out for the front camera, but rather than a design element, it’s just a round hole in the display. It looks adventurous, but it has to be optimised for the software just as the notch does.
The display stretches from edge to edge, from top to bottom and left to right. It’s a clear indication of the way things are going: one day soon, smartphones will just be a sheet of glass, ideally without any cut-outs or notches. This makes the square with rounded corners pretty boring from a design perspective – it only took me a minute to reproduce the blue image above in Illustrator – but it maximises the space for media consumption and interacting with technology. That’s what it’s all about when you’re using the device.
Samsung and the concept behind the concepts
When we talk about the future of smartphones, especially Samsung models, it’s worth taking a look at the concept behind concept renderings and patents. Samsung is an enthusiastic patent submitter.
Samsung applies for all kinds of patents, for screens, phones, cases and more. Because if it doesn’t, maybe LG or Google will. The shape of a phone, even though they look extremely similar, is a controversial topic. Apple even holds two patents claiming the exclusive right to use the square shape. The patents are filed under USD670286 and USD627777.
As a result, hardware manufacturers are extremely keen to patent even the vaguest of concepts. This makes aspects like the radius of a corner – 30 px on the blue image above – extremely exciting, with the potential to make billions and blow away the competition.
This is why Samsung struck preemptively and applied to patent virtually every design idea that the designer had come up with.
Source: LetsGoDigital.org
Samsung has called the design language of the speculative S10 in this article Infinity-O. At the latest Developer Conference, the South Korean company introduced its take on the notch concept. This includes concepts such as Infinity-U, Infinity-V and, by far the most exciting, New Infinity: a concept without any recesses in the screen.
But what about reality?
So, are we clued-up now? Do we know for certain what the S10 will look like? No. Samsung is staying as tight-lipped as ever. Even leakers such as Evan Blass and Ice Universe are keeping things under wraps or giving vague details, although this could be for marketing reasons.
The fact is that we have hints of what Samsung has in store. Is it confirmation of the appearance of the Samsung Galaxy S10 and S10+? No. But Samsung’s CEO DJ Koh did tell the Chinese media that the S10 series has undergone a radical redesign.
Journalist. Author. Hacker. A storyteller searching for boundaries, secrets and taboos – putting the world to paper. Not because I can but because I can’t not.