The folding phone concept may have suffered a blow when Samsung was forced to delay the launch of its Galaxy Fold due to failing displays but that doesn’t mean the foldable revolution won’t come around eventually. Apple knows that as much as anyone, and it’s been granted a new patent for a foldable iPhone.
The new patent was part of a collection of 85 patents that were granted to Apple by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office recently, although one in particular stands out. Potentially allowing for a foldable iPhone to be built, the new patent envisions the possibility of a flexible design.
Foldable iPhone X concept by Foldable News
However, Apple looks set to try and avoid the mistakes Samsung made with its Galaxy Fold by potentially using a ceramic material, rather than plastic, to add protection for the display, according to Patently Apple.
The flexible cover layer may be formed from a ceramic material (e.g., glass, strengthened glass, sapphire, zirconia) to provide some measure of protection for the flexible display from impact or other potential damaging contact. The flexible cover layer may also provide structural support for the display along both the folded and non-folded regions of the device. As used herein, a cover layer may also be referred to as a cover sheet or simply as a cover.
Other patents granted also allow for a new type of Smart Keyboard Folio that would be able to have a trackpad feature as well as a surface for an Apple Pencil to draw or write on.
It’s important to note that Apple applies for, and is granted, lots of patents each and every year. Not all of them result in shipping products, either.
(Source: Patently Apple)
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