Samsung Galaxy S11 will challenge the Apple iPhone 12 with this killer accessory

(Image credit: Let'sGoDigital)

published 5 October 2019

Samsung is working on an exciting new docking station for the Samsung Galaxy S11 that can take the handset's notifications and project them into thin air in the form of what the company refers to as an "aerial" image. Or as we all know it, a hologram.

We won't dive too deep into the technical side of how the feature works, since most of the details we have are nothing more than conjecture drummed up from a few scraps of information found in a recent patent filing (first spotted by Let'sGoDigital).

In a nutshell, there's a mirror and a retro-reflective element baked into the docking station – aimed just the right angle to draw light from the handset's curved screen and create the hologram – as well as a wireless charging element.

The feature will be used to project incoming notifications – such as a newly-received message or a telephone call – and pertinent information, like the date and time, the weather, breaking news and details about media currently playing on the device.

This last detail is particularly interesting as the patent hints that the station will support touch-based control for skipping tracks, as well as the ability to recognise gestures. So you may be able to filter through songs with no more than a wave of a finger.

Gestures should be able to complete other tasks too, such as sifting through different notifications, expanding images and playing videos, the documentation reveals – all without having to remove the handset from the docking station.

The patent notes that Samsung is also working on a smart speaker and flip case that serve the same purpose: taking notifications and displaying them as holograms.

Samsung is expected to launch the Galaxy S11 in February 2020.

It's rumoured to ship with a colossal 108MP rear-facing camera with a five-times optical zoom and a spectrometer for measuring everything from how dehydrated you are to how many calories are in a banana. It could even have a sliding screen.

Having spent half a decade writing about the latest news for some of the world’s largest publications, Josh is one of the most recognised reporters in the space. Nowadays, in addition to covering the odd news article, he spends most of his time keeping T3's long-form consumer content up to date, while also researching and reporting on the best deals to help you save some serious scratch.