In a newly discovered patent, Samsung shows off a prototype smartphone that has two holes drilled into the top of the screen, presumably to embed cameras and other sensors.
The phone is almost entirely bezel-free, except for some very thin borders around the edges of the phone.
Apple has faced some criticism from industry watchers and consumers who say the iPhone X's notch interferes with the phone's overall look and feel.
The notch is what houses the iPhone X's facial recognition sensors and front-facing selfie camera.
Some consumers found the notch so annoying that they installed a 'notch remover' app that conceals the feature with a black bar atop the iPhone's front screen.
Samsung's patented design, which was filed in May 2017, envisions a phone where the screen is uninterrupted by any imposing bezels.
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A Samsung patent shows a prototype phone where cameras and other sensors are embedded into several tiny holes at the top of the screen. The phone has almost no bezels +2
A Samsung patent shows a prototype phone where cameras and other sensors are embedded into several tiny holes at the top of the screen. The phone has almost no bezels
In the filing, Samsung notes that smartphone screens have become larger, yet the size is 'restricted' by features like a speaker to receive phone calls, a camera and a home button.
The concept describes an 'electronic apparatus with a hole area' that would be able to include all those elements, plus an 'optical sensor,' presumably referring to facial recognition technology of some kind.
Users would be able to decide whether images take up the full width and length of the display, or to restrict images with a small bezel at the top and bottom of the front screen.
It's not the first time that Samsung has acknowledged Apple's shortcomings.
Samsung in November released an ad that mocked the iPhone X's notch, as well as the iPhone 7, which famously removed the headphone jack and introduced a dongle system instead.
THE IPHONE X'S NOT SO UNIQUE NEW FEATURES
Wireless charging - Introduced for the Google Nexus 4 in 2013, the Nokia Lumia 635 in 2014 and the Samsung Galaxy S6 in 2015 and many since
Edge to edge 'bezel-less’ display - Featured on the Samsung Galaxy S8, Essential PH-1, LG G6 as well as a number of lesser known Android model
Tap screen to wake - Originally appearing on the LG G2 in 2013, this has become a common feature on Android phones since
No physical home button - In 2016, flagship devices from Google, Sony, LG, and Huawei all lacked such a button on their hardware. One of the last holdouts was Samsung, who ditched the feature from this year's S8
Cameras specs: The Google Pixel, Huawei P10, OnePlus 5 and others all can match or beat the iPhone X for sheer pixel power, although lens features do vary.
The ad, called 'Growing Up,' also makes fun of how iPhones are notorious for running out of storage space and aren't yet fully waterproof.
If Samsung's design works well enough, it's possible that Apple may introduce it to its own line of flagship smartphones, just like it adopted wireless charging after Samsung had that feature for several years.
The patent doesn't indicate if or when Samsung may introduce a notch-less smartphone.
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