After patenting several foldable smartphone designs over the last few months, OPPO is back with an innovative design for traditional candy bar-style smartphones. The latest OPPO patent approved by CNIPA (China National Intellectual Property Administration) reveals the smartphone with a waterfall display and an under-display selfie camera.
While the company filed for the patent in November last year, it only got approved earlier today. The documentation includes a total of four design iterations with a few minor changes.
Latest OPPO patent showcases smartphone with waterfall display
These days, curved edge displays are common to find on flagship smartphones. OPPO’s patented design takes the display curvature to an extreme level. That said, it already showcased a similar-looking smartphone in July last year.
Brian Shen, OPPO’s VP, shared images of the prototype device featuring a waterfall display with 88-degree curved edges. The company never again talked about that device. With this newly patented design, it got entirely rid of the side edges on this device.
As seen on the Huawei Mate 30 Pro, OPPO might also replace the physical volume rocker with a digital one. In the renders, the power button and volume rocker can be spotted on the top edge. On the bottom edge, there is a SIM card slot, USB Type-C port, and a loudspeaker.
It sports an under-display camera on the front
Since the device’s sides entirely covered by the display, it would be a nightmare if the device couldn’t prevent accidental touches. For the selfie camera, the company has opted for an under-display camera. Meanwhile, the vertical camera module in the top left corner on the rear will feature the rear camera sensors.
Notably, the company is sticking with a traditional earpiece. In the past, a few smartphones used a vibration motor to project sound through the display. As this is a design patent, there is no guarantee that OPPO will offer a similar-looking smartphone to consumers.
When the patented design is ready for production, the company will likely introduce its new waterfall display with a new OPPO Find-series smartphone. The OPPO Find X, which was launched a couple of years ago, is claimed to be the world’s first panoramic designed phone. It came with a no-notch display and hidden cameras.
OPPO will be launching the Find X3 as the successor to Find X2 in mid-2021. If everything goes well, it will likely sport the waterfall display and under-display selfie camera.