In October, rumors spread by The Bell indicated that Apple has created a “task force” to create a foldable screen, but only assuming that it is for a future iPhone. Now, during Thanksgiving, this might have been confirmed after the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple relating to a possible foldable iPhone model.
The patent application said that the technology is related to any kind of electronic device that has a display, like a “laptop computer, a tablet computer, a cellular telephone, a wristwatch, or other electronic device (e.g., a portable device, handheld device, etc.).”
Apple’s pending invention covers an electronic devices having a flexible portion that allows the device to be folded, having a bending region.
A patent filed in Q3 2016, the potential foldable iPhone has a flexible display layer, a cover layer, a touch sensor interposed between the flexible display layer and the cover layer, a support layer, and a polarizer layer.
Photos via Patently Apple
Two unique things about this phone is that it’s the first patent by Apple that lists micro-LED as one of the main display type for a foldable iPhone and uses liquid metal in the foldable iPhone’s structure.
As smartphone get bigger and wider nowadays, a foldable iPhone is something that smartphone users crave for: it could be folded and unfolded like a piece of paper which could fit a lot more comfortable in pockets and purses.
It is worth noting, however, that not all patent applications become actual products and reach the market. Companies like Apple have this routine of filing and receiving technology patents but that is only there is to it.
But with Samsung planning to make new Note phone to be foldable and making it available in 2018, it is still likely that Apple will not back down in the foldable smartphones race.
Source: Patently Apple
