Recent Samsung patent reveals smartphone with a double-sided display

Samsung has long-since been rumored to be releasing a foldable smartphone, but that might not be the only innovative handset it has in the works: the South Korean giant may also be developing on a device with a double-sided display.

This speculation arrives from LetsGoDigital (via The Korea Herald), who recently picked up a Samsung Display patent application which revealed a device with such a design. This was originally submitted in 2015 in Korea and in 2016 in the US, before being published by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) yesterday.

The patent application, a sample from which you can see above, pertains to a smartphone with a display that would wrap around the side of the phone and cover part of the rear. This, presumably, would have touchscreen capabilities on the front and back, given that system icons can be seen on both sides.

It’s a similar setup to what Meizu recently delivered with the Meizu Pro 7 Plus, though that device had a completely separate rear display, while Samsung’s would feature a single screen (whether that would be an advantage or disadvantage we can’t say). Samsung does have previous experience with smartphones that have curved displays and additional functionality on their edges, so this product wouldn’t be a world away from what the company has already produced.

As with any smartphone patent application, don’t expect to see a device rocking this design appear anytime soon, however; Samsung and other tech companies submit regular patents as part of their business operations, it’s not necessarily an indication that it is actively working on this type of product.

While we liked the rear display feature on the Meizu Pro 7 Plus from an innovation standpoint, we didn’t think it added anything interesting to the handset in terms of functionality (it can show notifications, time, and weather information, just like the front display). Should Samsung release a device with this design, we would hope it has something more to offer.

Tell us what you think of the potential for this device in the comments.