Samsung patents wireless TV with no power cable

Image Credit: Samsung

Could Samsung be on the cusp of a fully wireless TV? A recent patent hints that a Samsung TV without any pesky cables could be around the corner.

Spotted by LetsGoDigital, the patent was filed in March 2018 but only released publicly in late February of this year.

The patent revolves around a wireless power transceiver, which would make the prospective television the first of its kind to transmit power across the room rather than relying on a power cable - increasingly seen as an eyesore next to Samsung's premium design sets.

The transceiver takes the form of a magnetic bar attached to the rear of the television, given that panels themselves are too thin to house anything of this kind. It would then require a separate power transmitter (plugged into the mains) to keep the TV running. 

Image Credit: Samsung

Image Credit: Samsung (Image credit: Samsung)

See no evil

We're not surprised to see Samsung investigating wireless technology, given its move over recent years to minimize the visual impact of connected wires and cables around their TVs.

High-end Samsung sets like the Samsung Serif TV usually ship with a OneConnect box, which hides most of the television's ports out of immediate view. The OneConnect box still requires a thin, transparent cable running from the set itself - and the natural next step would be trying to get rid of this entirely.

Wireless charging is a burgeoning technology, though usually thought of in the realm of smartphones rather than premium QLED TVs. If Samsung manages to make it work for a TV's hungry power needs, though, we could be looking at the future of home television design.

Henry St Leger

Henry is a freelance technology journalist, and former News & Features Editor for TechRadar, where he specialized in home entertainment gadgets such as TVs, projectors, soundbars, and smart speakers. Other bylines include Edge, T3, iMore, GamesRadar, NBC News, Healthline, and The Times.