Apple is waiting on Samsung to perfect a next-generation OLED that would wrap nearly vertically around a phone and make the sides effectively part of the screen, according to Weibo-based leaker Instant Digital. The design is said to aim for an almost bezel-free iPhone appearance when viewed from the front.
Instant Digital reports Samsung internally describes the concept as a “full-surround, full-screen display.” Unlike a curved “waterfall screen,” the main display would remain completely flat while the OLED panel bends sharply downward at close to a 90-degree angle on all four edges and corners.
Those folded display sections would serve as the device’s sides, replacing a conventional metal or plastic frame, the leaker says. Display wiring and other components normally hidden behind bezels could be routed around the edges, reducing the visible black border around the display to virtually nothing. The technology could also reportedly enable an iPhone model without conventional mechanical buttons.
Challenges for a bezel-free iPhone
According to the leaker, Apple has been waiting for Samsung to finalize the technology but Samsung still faces several technical challenges. These include optical distortion and color shifts around the corners, maintaining the OLED’s protective encapsulation through extreme bends, and finding suitable locations for antennas when all sides are covered by the display.
Instant Digital also shared a concept design illustrating the proposed appearance and edge-folding approach.
