With Samsung apparently having tried to develop a key-less design for the Galaxy Note 10, a recent trademark application caught our eye. In South Korea, the company has filed paperwork for the mark Digital Bezel. Update June 19: in addition, trademark applications for Touch Bezel and Touch Wheel have also surfaced.

Samsung Digital Bezel

Late last week, Samsung filed an application with the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) for the trademark Digital Bezel. The application’s description is very broad, providing very little information about the device or application the mark applies to. That said, we can not help but be reminded of the alleged key-less design Samsung was testing for its upcoming Galaxy Note 10.

Back in March, we heard the first rumors about a next-generation Note device that no longer has physical hardware keys. Even only a few weeks ago, a similar report made the rounds, only to be debunked by two sets of renders showing a Galaxy Note 10 with traditional physical keys. Nevertheless, it is inevitable that Samsung will release devices in the future with pressure or touch sensitive keys replacing physical buttons. This is where we imagine a Digital Bezel comes in, being a bezel with such added functionality.

Of course, the key phrase here is ‘we imagine’. Samsung’s Digital Bezel might well turn out to be something else entirely. With the Note 10 actually having a normal bezel, we are not likely to find out more when that phone launches in August. For now, we’ll just file this under ‘things we are eager to learn more about’.

Update June 19:

Samsung Touch Bezel and Touch Wheel

It seems the Digital Bezel trademark application was not filed on its own. Shortly after, applications for the marks Touch Bezel and Touch Wheel also surfaced at the KIPO. And while Touch Bezel does fit to a key-less phone design, Touch Wheel rather seems to hint at a next-generation Galaxy Watch. Incidentally, we recently revealed Samsung is indeed working on just that. Of course, whether this ‘Galaxy Watch 2‘ sports a Touch Bezel or Touch Wheel remains to be seen, but we will be sure to keep our eyes and ears open for more information.