The Samsung Galaxy S21 might bear a striking resemblance to the look of the iPhone 12, thanks to some new details about the phone's bezels and display.
Bezels might not be the most glamorous part of a smartphone, but they still have a big impact on how good a phone looks and can make the display seem more immersive. That's why it's interesting to see this new patent and rumor.
- Samsung Galaxy S21 release date, price, specs and leaks
- See our full Galaxy S20 FE review
- Plus: Amazing iPhone 12 deal — get $100 back and free Bose headphones
First off, we have a tweet from leaker Ice Universe. He's discussing the bezels here, and specifically that all sides will be the same width, rather than on the Galaxy S20 where the bottom bezel is noticeably thicker than the others.
The three products in the Samsung Galaxy S21 (S30) series are designed with four sides of equal width. Among them, S21 and S21+ are 2D screens, and S21U is a curved screen.October 21, 2020
All three phones in the Galaxy S20 range have slightly curved displays, however the newer Galaxy S20 FE has a flat panel. Based on this tweet, it looks like the FE was the first indicator of a new direction for Samsung, because the S21 and S21 Plus will reportedly both get flat displays, too.
Curved screens are particularly useful on larger phones to help them fit into users' hands. It's likely for this reason that IU claims the S21 Ultra — assumedly the largest phone in the range as is the case with the Galaxy S20 Ultra — will keep its curved display.
Samsung "Blade Bezels" patent
On a related note, we have a new patent from Samsung for "Blade bezels," found by LetsGoDigital. These detail some very thin but also flat edges for a smartphone display, which digital artist Snoreyn rendered on LGD's behalf.
At first glance, the design seems somewhat reminiscent of the newly revealed iPhone 12, which has also reduced its bezels by going for a flat-sided design. However, there is no camera notch or punch-hole to be seen.
There have been several rumors of upcoming phones with under-display selfie cameras. It's has been rumored specifically for the Galaxy S21 too, and would theoretically mean you wouldn't have to sacrifice screen space or quality to fit in a front-facing camera. However, it's a difficult engineering challenge to accomplish, and we've seen leaks pointing to Samsung not being able to pull off an under-display camera for the S21 lineup.
Samsung has tended to release its Galaxy S series phones each year in February. We may see that change this year, though, as a recent rumor says we might see the S21 debut in January instead.
