Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Flat Screen Confirmed? Leaked Image Shows Prototype Handset With Original Design

Most reports and leaks suggest Samsung will release a single design for its Galaxy Note 7 smartphone, featuring a dual-edge curved display. However, there have been murmurs of a flat screen model. A new leak shared by French publication Nowhereelse Tuesday indicates the model is real. However, it remains uncertain whether Samsung will announce a Galaxy Note 7 handset with a flat display during its Unpacked event Aug. 2.

Several leaks, both of live prototype images and high quality press renderings, have surfaced in recent weeks, showing the Galaxy Note 7 featuring a curved display. The new leak of a flat display Galaxy Note 7 appears to be a prototype model, which leaves little indication a flat model of the Galaxy Note 7 will make it to the market. The fact that no press renderings of a flat Galaxy Note 7 model have leaked suggests that the hardware may have been designed only for internal purposes.

If these reports and leaks are accurate, the Galaxy Note 7 would be the first in the phablet line to feature a dual-edge curved display. Typically, Galaxy Note smartphones are flat, but many of Samsung’s curved display smartphones, including the Galaxy S6 Edge, the Galaxy S6 Edge+ and the Galaxy S7 Edge , have proven popular among consumers.

In the past, pairing a curved edge display with other Note features, such as a large screen and the S-Pen Stylus, have made devices too expensive for consumers. The Galaxy Note Edge was one such device. The smartphone launched in 2014 and was Samsung’s first curved edge device, featuring a single curved edge on its right side, as well as an S-Pen Stylus. It retailed for $950 .

In 2015, Samsung released both a flat display Galaxy Note 5 (which featured with an S-Pen) and a curved display Galaxy S6 Edge+ (which did not). Samsung told iDigitalTimes in August 2015 that the Galaxy S6 Edge+ did not include an S-Pen because it would have made the smartphone too expensive for consumers.The manufacturer has since begun to commoditize its dual-edge screen technology by licensing it to other manufacturers , including Huawei, Xiaomi and Vivo.

With more smartphones on the market featuring the design component, Samsung’s manufacturing costs for its own devices may decrease, allowing the company to price the smartphone at a reasonable level. Rumors have suggested the Galaxy Note 7 might sell or €849 or $935. However, if the device is priced similar l y to current and older models, it should sell for between $700 and $800 depending on the carrier or retailer.