The next major change in the smartphone design has to be the adoption of under-display camera. Till now we have heard quite a few names of the smartphone manufacturers that are trying their luck and doing efforts in the same field. One such name is TCL, a Chinese manufacturer that has reportedly filed a couple of patents in quest of making a truly bezel-free phone.

As spotted by LetsGoDigital, TCL Mobile Communications filed a design patent in its home country with the CNIPA (China National Intellectual Property Administration). The documentation includes eight product sketches, all of which featuring a display with no front camera cutouts. Moreover, the brief description is sufficient to tell the aim of TCL. As described in the patent application, TCL filed for a “Mobile phone- camera under the display.”

This smartphone design is different from the one TCL filed for previously in June this year. The latest one appears to have a flat display with relatively thick screen edges. There is a clean display surface just like a clean slate. But that’s not the only design change that TCL has proposed. According to the sketches, TCL is aiming to declutter the backside of such a mobile phone as well. You will see no camera bump or even a module for that matter.

As evident from the sketch, the rear panel is as clean as its front panel. However, there is a thick part on the top-most edge of the phone on the back and it appears this thick part would carry the cameras. The back panel is not showing this thing like there is no bulge represented in the sketch but evident from the side view.

This thick part is not sticking to the back panel as a separate entity instead it is a unibody design and it is not too significant to annoy you. Overall, the patent mobile phone design looks sleek.

Coming to the front design, the publication points out that it is possible that this filed phone design includes a technology similar to what is available in OnePlus Concept One. This mobile phone has a glass back with invisible camera tech. This type of technology is already used in the aviation and automotive industries.

An under-display camera seems to be the only solution that could help in bringing a fully and truly bezel-less phone. If manufacturers are trying to bring more changes around then there is no harm. Let’s see if this filed design makes its way to the final.