It would appear that the hole-punch displays are not enough for smartphones as a new report has stated that Google was at one point contemplating to bring a hole-punch in a smartwatch. [caption id=“attachment_7248881” align=“alignnone” width=“707”] Google Watch.[/caption] As per a recently discovered patent, first
spotted by
letsgodigital
, it has been revealed that the Mountain View-based tech giant wanted to place a camera right in the centre of a smartwatch. The patent dates back to July 2017 and is titled ‘Camera Watch’. The patent shows 7 diagrams of the unreleased design. It is not unusual for companies to put a camera in a smartwatch as Samsung’s Galaxy Gear and Gear 2 in 2013 and 2014 respectively, had come with cameras. The recently launched
Nubia Alpha
with a flexible panel also came with a camera. There were rumours of a Pixel Watch coming out as well, but that hasn’t happened yet. However, companies have generally abstained from putting in a camera on a smartwatch as there doesn’t appear to be enough space to place a decent sensor. Also clicking photos from a smartwatch is quite a hassle, with it being strapped to your wrist and all. Apple has never placed a camera sensor in the Apple Watch, although an
earlier patent had leaked
which showed a camera in one of the future models of the Apple Watch. Would Google in the future release a smartwatch with a punch-hole in the centre? Now that it has acquired a stake in Fossil, the possibility does not seem very distant.