In recent years, the Korean LG has made frequent use of the controversial notch. The company does not yet have any smartphones in the portfolio with a hole in the display or a pop-up camera. This seems to be changing, probably LG is working on a smartphone model with an oval-shaped hole in the middle of the screen or a punch-hole camera.
LG smartphone with a hole in the display for selfie camera and sensors
In November last year, LetsGoDigital had published on a patent from LG Display for a full-screen smartphone with an oval-shaped hole in the screen. It seems that LG has now made some progress. This time not only the screen is patented, but the entire device.
On March 15, 2019, LG Display filed a design patent with the KIPO (Korean Intellectual Property Office). The patent was actually granted on 20 April 2019. There are 14 patent sketches included, part of which is shown in color. One of the images (see above) even shows the navigation buttons.
It is a full-screen LG smartphone with a wide hole at the top, in the middle of the screen. This includes both the selfie camera and two sensors. The screen edges are kept to a minimum, especially at the bottom, the screen edge is significantly thinner as compared to LG’s current flagship devices, the LG G8 ThinQ and the V50 ThinQ.
The design looks a bit like the Samsung Galaxy Note 10, this advanced phone will be introduced on August 7, 2019. This will be the first Samsung smartphone with the punch-hole camera in the middle. However, Samsung opts for a small round that only offers space for the selfie camera.
What kind of sensors LG wants to use is unfortunately not described in the patent. Looking at the current range, the LG G8 ThinQ was released at the beginning of 2019. This mobile phone was equipped with an 8-megapixel selfie camera, a Time of Flight sensor, and an infrared sensor. These sensors make 3D face recognition possible. LG may want to equip the patented smartphone model with similar sensors.
Although the patent also shows a drawing of the back of the smartphone, no cameras are visible on this. The patent has therefore been filed by LG Display, the display division of LG. As soon as the screen can be applied, LG Electronics will continue to shape the device, and of course, there will also be cameras on the back. Just as the connections at the bottom are also missing from the enclosed illustrations.
When we can expect a new high-end LG smartphone is as yet unclear. Perhaps the Korean manufacturer will make themselves heard in the second half of 2019. However, it is also possible that we may not expect a new flagship until the beginning of 2020, possibly the LG G10 ThinQ and/or the LG V60 ThinQ.
However, the company has also registered various model names for an unannounced phone series, the LG M series. It is still unclear what kind of model this will be, it is therefore not excluded that LG will place these new types of devices within the M-series.
