LG patent gives us a glimpse at what the LG V30 or LG G7 could look like

LG isn’t one to shy away from trying new ideas. The company was among the first Android manufacturers to utilize rear buttons, the double-tap-to-wake (Knock Knock) gesture and modular functionality in its smartphones. Though the success of its designs varies, you can often look in LG’s direction if you’re interested in trying something a little different.

In the case of the LG V10 and LG V20, innovation came in the form of an additional display at the top of the device. This could be used to access features like app shortcuts, recently opened apps, media controls, upcoming calendar events, quick toggles and more.

It’s a feature that makes the V-series stand out, and, if this recently unearthed patent filing is anything to go by, LG may continue to pursue it on upcoming handsets.

Dutch tech site GSMinfo.nl discovered the patent application earlier today and it reveals a smartphone design concept (shown in the left image at the top of the page) which would utilize a second display like the LG V10 and LG V20. However, the phone would also feature a near-bezel-less display more like the LG G6.

The patent, which arrives from the Korean Intellectual Property Rights Information Service, is dated November, 2016 —there’s nothing to say that a device with such a design would indeed make it to market. But the design does seem like it could be at home on future devices as it allows for a modern, end-to-end display while also maintaining a “comfortable” front-facing camera placement.

Previous attempts to marry bezel-less displays on smartphones have forced manufacturers to put the selfie camera awkwardly on the bottom of the device, like on the Xiaomi Mi MIX, or have it appear in some kind of pop-up camera function.

LG’s potential approach could allow the front facing camera to feature more organically into the body, and it’s thanks to that second display area. Speaking of which, it’s not exactly clear whether it would feature two independent display or a single one with a break in the middle — but I imagine it would feel pretty cool to move those shortcuts along and see them pop out the other side of that camera.

As for what would become of the top speaker in this scenario, LG would likely pursue a piezoelectric approach like the Mi MIX. For better or for worse.

Once again, the patent isn’t necessarily an indication of what’s to come, but how would you feel about the prospect of this on a future LG device? Let me know in the comments.