Samsung Phone With Sub-display
Recently Letsgodigital found that on June 19, Samsung Electronics applied to WIPO (World Intellectual Property Office) for a patent titled “Electronic device including sub-display and method of operating same” describing a cell phone, whose front camera cutoff part can be hidden by switching screen layering. The patent was granted and published on December 24.
To make it easier for readers to understand, LetsGoDigital has produced some renders. The renders show a nearly full-screen Samsung smartphone with narrow bezels and rounded borders. The camera and LED flash sections are hidden when the user does not need to take pictures; when the user invokes the front-facing lens, it can be automatically switched to a high-quality lens.
The camera has a transparent area in the top center of the screen. The sub-display layer is located below the transparent area, and this part of the module integrates the dual camera lenses – iris sensor and normal lens, and the LED flash. Samsung plans to move the sub-display layer and the transparent area through a built-in driver module, which can be moved from top to bottom and from left to right.
If the sub-display part is below the transparent area, the screen at this point includes the upper glass, the middle display part, and the camera below. The top of the phone will display content normally, such as the time and battery status, while once the sub-display is no longer below the transparent area or when the screen only has a layer of transparent glass and the camera, the front lens system will appear on top of the phone. So, Samsung can target simply revealing the iris sensor or lens, or show it all, or hide it all.
Besides automatic mode, users can also manually open and close this part of the screen. There is a small slider next to the power button that controls the movement of the sub-display. Besides, the sub-display section is also equipped with a touch sensor, which users can also move directly with their fingers, tap twice, or swipe.
The document also states that the model’s screen also supports operation with the Samsung S-Pen. In addition to the Samsung Note series, the Galaxy S21 Ultra, which will be released next month, will also support the Samsung S Pen.
