Sharp may not be the most prominent name in the smartphone world, but that doesn’t mean it can’t innovate. The company is known for smartphones that feature tiny bezels, and a recent concept phone takes that to the next level.
The concept device is called the Corner R, and it makes use of the company’s Free Form display tech, which basically allows the company to cut displays into different shapes — shapes that could be far more interesting than a smartphone display, if the company so chooses.
Perhaps the coolest thing about the display isn’t the fact that it has tiny bezels, however. It’s how those tiny bezels are achieved — the corners on the device are actually rounded.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a near bezel-less phone from Sharp. In fact, there’s one that’s available to consumers right now — called the Aquos Crystal. Unfortunately, while the Aquos Crystal had a great design, it was held back by less-than-stellar specs. The phone had a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, 8GB of storage, and 1.5GB of RAM.
It seems like there are plenty of companies working on innovating the smartphone display — apart from being able to cut the display into different shapes, many companies are working on ways to make displays more flexible. Samsung is perhaps the best known company working on flexible displays, and rumors suggest that the company will try to commercialize its technology at some point in 2017.
It’s important to note that Sharp’s Free Form displays don’t have to be rectangular — they can be cut into really any shape that the company wants, meaning that they could be used for other devices, too — like smartwatches or other wearables.
