The American patent office USPTO has today published a patent application from Apple in which the technology for making holes in displays is recorded. It is an answer to the demand for smaller edges around the screen. Apple has introduced the notch in the screen with the iPhone X, it now appears to have ideas for a smaller opening in the screen, for a front camera for example.
Display with holes
In the patent with the title ‘Electronic device displays with holes to accommodate components’ Apple described how holes can be made in the display. The space that this hole provides could then be used to place a camera or other part. Considered by many to be the next step, it is Apple who is now recording the technology to get this done.
No more notch?
The method described in the patent goes beyond the “notch”, by only creating an opening for a component such as a camera. This should make it possible to process a front camera in the display instead of in a notch. With a smaller opening the notch could be omitted. It is in fact an advanced solution for the water drop notch as in the Huawei Mate 20 .
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Even smaller holes
Last year a similar patent was published with the title “Electronic devices having displays with opening”, discovered by Apple Insider. This patent also mentions openings in the display but in a different way. In this method, different components are mounted behind perforations in a display that are so small that they are not perceptible to the human eye.
As always, the publication of a patent is not a confirmation of an actual introduction to the consumer market. We dont know yet if Apple is planning to introduce the advanced display technology in the following iPhone models or not, but it is sure that with this method Apple could continue innovating with an even higher screen-to-body ratio.
