Waterfall displays might be old story since both Vivo and Huawei have launched their flagships with such super curved designs. However, Samsung’s new patent hints that the South Korean tech giant may join the waterfall club in the future. First reported by LetsGoDigital, the company has obtained patents for a waterfall display smartphone that curves to the very edge of the sides.
Interestingly, the patent was granted on all major intellectual property offices like KIPO (Korean Intellectual Property Office), USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) and WIPO (World Intellectual Property Office), essentially granting permission to use this design worldwide.
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In case you are wondering, the difference between a waterfall display and a regular edge display is the extent to which the display curves on the sides. Waterfall displays occupy the entire side, leaving very little or no room for things like power or volume buttons. In Samsung’s patent application, the power button seems to be located on top. We can’t find the volume buttons on the sides, so the phone is most likely using software powered volume controls.
To recall, both Vivo Nex 3 and Huawei Mate 30 Pro have ditched volume buttons. While the Mate 30 Pro has a physical power button, the Nex 3 has a pressure-sensitive portion on the frame.
Samsung’s patent for the waterfall display only covers one part of the smartphone. But a commercial phone would most likely feature waterfall displays on both sides.
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