Samsung may give future flagship phones a fully curved display

Samsung doesn't sell a top flagship phone without a curved display any more, as the company has fully embraced curved screen tech, but a new patent has shown that those curves may be set to undergo a big change soon.

LetsGoDigital spotted a patent filed with the World International Property Office that shows how Samsung may be set to change its display technology to have it curve all the way around the phone.

The patent features a 180-degree edge display that curves around from the front of the phone all the way to the back of the phone.

Further curve

Samsung claimed in the filing that this new tech would offer a completely new user experience (which is easy enough to understand) as well as improved grip, but how making the sides of the phone out of screen helps you keep hold of your phone remains unclear.

This may be a new type of screen tech we'll see on future versions of Samsung's top-end Galaxy S and Note lines of phones, but we don't expect to see it very soon.

We've heard rumors that Samsung may announce the Galaxy S9 early next year, possibly as soon as CES 2018 at the beginning of January 2018.

But those leaks we've heard suggest Samsung is set to keep a remarkably similar design to the Galaxy S8, so it's unlikely this new screen tech will make a surprise appearance.

However, it may be that this new tech is ready for the Galaxy Note 9 or perhaps Samsung will not ever act on the patent. We've also heard lots of rumors of Samsung's own bendable phone called the Galaxy X, which we may see at some stage in 2018.

James Peckham

James is Managing Editor for Android Police. Previously, he was Senior Phones Editor for TechRadar, and he has covered smartphones and the mobile space for the best part of a decade bringing you news on all the big announcements from top manufacturers making mobile phones and other portable gadgets. James is often testing out and reviewing the latest and greatest mobile phones, smartwatches, tablets, virtual reality headsets, fitness trackers and more. He once fell over.