Something to look forward to: As bezels have shrunk, eliminating the front-facing camera cutout has become the holy grail of smartphone design. Some have experimented with pop-up cameras but Samsung's idea of integrating the necessary equipment into the display seems feels like the right way forward. So long as the technique doesn't impact picture quality, I'm all for it.

Notches, hole-punches and other unsightly camera cutouts could be a short-lived blemish on the smartphone industry if a recent report from Jonhap News Agency proves accurate.

It's not possible to make a smartphone today that integrated all of the necessary camera equipment behind the screen but according to Yang Byung-duk, vice president of Samsung's Mobile Communication R&D Group Display, "in the next 1-2 years, the technology can move forward to the point where the camera hole will be invisible."

An integrated camera of this nature would not affect the camera's functionality, the executive added.

Samsung is also considering developing an OLED display technology that allows the screen to double as a speaker, thus potentially eliminating the need for an earpiece cutout. LG Electronics has built similar technology into its new LG G8 ThinQ, which it calls Crystal Sound. The screen itself vibrates to create sound.

It's unclear if this could work in conjunction with Samsung's in-screen fingerprint reader that debuted on the S10 and S10+ although that feature will likely need to be refined if Samsung wants to keep it around for future devices.

Lead image courtesy Farknot Architect via Shutterstock