Just when you thought that the world of smartphones would have some time to get used to the next mobile trend that is the punch-hole display, some slightly more interesting piece of technology pops up. In this particular case, a design patent submitted by Xiaomi has made it to the internet, detailing what appears to be a phone with a purely bezel-less and edge-to-edge display.
The patent, which first appeared on the Dutch-based online site Lets Go Digital, shows a simple outline of a phone’s display and rear. While the design for the rear of the phone looks like your typical smartphone, it’s the phone’s “Four Edge Display” that catches our attention.
For context, most mid-range to high-end smartphone today typically sport a display that features a greater screen-to-body ratio. As gorgeous as these displays look, though, these phones would still have noticeable bezels, both at the top and at the bottom of the display. Xiaomi’s Mi MIX smartphone series is no exception to this rule.
Upon closer inspection, the patent also shows that the phone doesn’t appear to have any physical buttons on its side or on the display. This gives way to the possibility of Xiaomi’s future device actually possessing an in-display fingerprint scanner.
As exciting as this is, it is important to remember that this is merely a patent, and that while it is equally likely that Xiaomi could act upon it, it’s also possible that the said patent will never see the light of day. Having said that, there’s no denying that such a phone design will be pique the interest of consumers, should it ever become a reality.