Samsung hints at smartwatch with wraparound display

How many screens can one small device have?

Smartwatches are one of the most popular wearables, so there’s no surprise that many companies keep striving to make them better and more innovative.

Your smartwatch no longer just counts your steps or sleep. Now, they’re expected to monitor your blood pressure, become a fitness coach, or even save your life in an emergency.

Users are even finding more “creative” ways to wear them.

Considering the fact that users now expect more from their devices, Samsung has filed a patent that shows a different take on smartwatch display.

Instead of the smartwatch consisting of a display and a band, the device would include a wraparound display.

In the document, the company notes that smartwatch displays are currently quite limited, showing only basic information due to their small screen size. They also require a user to rotate their wrist every time they want to check on their watch.

Due to these limitations, Samsung has proposed an upgraded smartwatch that would include a flexible display that would show more information and wouldn’t require a user to rotate their wrist thanks to screen split.

The device would be split into multiple screen areas depending on how a user rotates their wrist. It can also adapt to what they’re doing, for example, swimming or touching the screen, as well as other factors such as where the user is looking.

One of the screens would work as a “main area” where the most important information is shown. The device could also separate private content (such as emails and messages) from public content (for example, weather) and show them on separate screens.

The smartwatch would also be “aware” of what content is shown. To provide a user with more privacy, it would be able to detect their glance and show them important information, while controlling what to show when the device is visible to others, reports Patently Apple.

The patent information also shows how the smartwatch could be used in various everyday scenarios, such as checking messages, watching YouTube videos, or paying via Samsung Pay.

As with many patents, it’s not clear if the company will pursue this device in the future.