14 DAY TRIAL // Apple has recently received a new patent which proves that the dream of a foldable iPhone has never faded away, though there’s obviously no confirmation that such a project could ever get the go-ahead.
The patent, which is called “Flexible display devices,” describes a technology that allows a potentially foldable iPhone to operate in different modes, depending on the position of the displays.
And what’s more, the flexible displays that could be used may allow for the configuration to change depending on how the user bends them, all powered by hinges that would technically be the main component of the entire structure.
“The hinge may be configured to allow the flexible display to be placed in a front-to-front configuration in which an active side of the display faces itself or a back-to-back configuration,” the patent reads.
“The hinges may include hinges based on a three-bar linkage, hinges based on a four-bar linkage, hinges with slotted members, hinges formed from flexible support structures, and hinges based on flexible housing structures.”
Possible launch in 2020 or 2021
As CultOfMac notes, the patent was filed in 2016, and at about the same time, Apple also applied for a number of other patents related to foldable displays.
This could be a sign that the company is very serious about building a foldable iPhone at some point in the future, only that guessing the timing right now is impossible.
More and more device manufacturers express their interest in such technology, and Apple’s rival Samsung is projected to take the wraps off a foldable phone as soon as the next month. The device could eventually go on sale in 2019.
Other companies are investing in similar devices too, including Huawei, so Apple’s foldable iPhone could join a growing group of models based on this approach. 2020 or 2021 could be the years when this iPhone may get the green light, as analysts expect the market to be ready for this new design idea by that time.