Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Sequel Display Could Extend To The Back

Is Samsung preparing something big for the Galaxy Note 8’s sequel? A new patent that was granted to the South Korea tech giant is apparently suggesting that the company could be working on a smartphone with double-sided display.

On Wednesday, Korea Herald learned from Dutch website LetsGoDigital that Samsung has a patent for a unique type of smartphone display. Called “double-sided display,” the screen invention that the company has come up with covers not only the front of the phone, but also half of its back.

It’s important to note that the phone itself isn’t foldable, but its touchscreen display is designed to be very flexible. Flexibility is an important property of the display for it will be bent to cover one side of the device, so that it would give the impression that the screen is extended toward the back, which it really does.

Korea Herald compared Samsung’s double-sided display to Meizu’s Pro 7 dual-screen smartphone series. The Chinese manufacturer launched the series this past July, and its first offering features a secondary display that’s located at the back of the handset. The additional display is mainly used for notifications, weather updates, time and controls for the music app.

Samsung could also be thinking of implementing the same features for the display that’s located at the back of its mysterious device. However, unlike the Meizu series of dual-screen phones, Samsung’s invention is one single unit. Meizu’s dual-screen phones literally have two separate screens. On the other hand, the display that Samsung is developing is a long flexible screen that can wrap around one side of a smartphone.

Schematics of the Galaxy S9 have already been leaked on Chinese microblogging site Weibo, and the handset is now believed to look almost the same as its predecessor. Since the launch of the Galaxy Note 9 is still far off, it’s possible that Samsung’s new patent application could be for the high-end phablet.

It’s also possible that Samsung could be preparing another edge variant for the Galaxy S8’s successor. The illustration included in the new patent after all shows a device that slightly resembles the design language of the Galaxy S7 edge.

The possibilities for Samsung’s new invention are limitless. However, it’s worth pointing out that not all patents reach fruition. Samsung has hundreds of patents and only a handful become actual products. Therefore, it’s also possible that the double-sided display won’t make its way to the Galaxy Note 9 or any Galaxy phone for that matter. Besides, the patent was originally filed in 2015.

For now, Samsung fans should watch out for the Galaxy S9, which is rumored to be scheduled for launch early next year. Contrary to reports claiming the South Korean tech giant could unveil its new flagship phone at CES 2018 this January, IBTimes has learned that the handset will most likely be announced at the Mobile World Congress in February.