that of Samsung
Malarie Gokey/Digital Trends
Samsung's next wearable device could have a flexible display built into the wristband - and a camera. A new patent application filed by the Seoul, South Korea-based company shows a smartwatch with an edge-to-edge display that s wraps around your wrist.
The
patent
, filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) this month, shows a prototype watch model with a wristband screen that displays shortcuts to watch apps - there appears to be icons for an email client, music player, photo gallery, and settings.
SamMobile notes that it's a lot like the Edge feature on Samsung
Galaxy S8
, which uses the curved edges of the smartphone screen to display notifications, shortcuts and other content. If the proposed display looked like Edge, it would be highly customizable - you could probably switch between incoming messages, contacts favourites, widgets, recent apps, etc.
It's a tact different from aftermarket accessories like the Rifft CT Band, which feature secondary displays built into the band. But the tech isn't impractical - Samsung's Gear S has a curved display, as does the discontinued Band 2. from Microsoft.
Samsung's prototypical smartwatch has another surprise: a camera. Like the company's first-generation Gear smartwatch, which has a 2MP camera for wrist-level shots, the proposed design by Samsung includes a wristband-mounted sensor. But unlike the original Galaxy Gear, it's described as having an optical zoom for higher quality shots.
This month's smartwatch patent follows Samsung's April design, which showed a smartwatch with a flexible secondary display on a rotating dial around the outer edge. Like the wristband display, it would show information such as current weather and recently played songs.
Samsung isn't alone in exploring the idea of a smartwatch with a camera. In June, Apple filed a patent for a watch with a camera "oriented to allow a user to capture images of 'nearby objects in the environment, such as a barcode or a QR code'. an HD video recording.
And Apple is working on its own e-watch bands. Rumor has it that the Apple Watch Series 3 – slated for launch this fall – will feature interchangeable “smart bands” with sensors and other components.
But in curved screen display technology, Samsung may have a leg up on the competition. In February, it filed a patent for a device with a mechanical hinge in the middle and a flexible screen that folds inward. And at a conference last year in San Francisco, the company showed off a flexible 5.7-inch, 1080p display that could roll up like a scroll.
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