Apple patents for a foldable device, could be the next iPhone

Samsung recently showcased its foldable smartphone at its Developers Conference 2018, which will see the light of day in early 2019. The company is said to launch the device at CES 2019 next month.

Besides, Huawei also has plans to launch a foldable smartphone in 2019. Well, it seems Apple has joined the party, as the new patent application reveals that there could be a foldable iPhone in the future. Apple filed for the patent in March 2018 and has now been publicly posted by the US Patent & Trademark Office.

The patent reveals that the Cupertino-based company is looking for various ways to make a foldable iPhone. The illustrations indicate a device that can fold both ways. This is different from Samsung's device which only folds inwards which is said to be due to unavailability of a screen that can stretch fold-out motion.

The patent describes that an OLED panel will be used so it can withstand multiple bends. Apple has been slowly moving away from LED panels after the iPhone X. It has also invented a coating, which combines a polymer with pigment flakes, and acts as a protective surface that can be twisted and turned without cracking the screen.

Besides, Apple is said to use a Y-OCTA Samsung display in at least one of its 2019 iPhone models. The same display is currently seen on the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus.

The display will allow Apple to excel in three areas: the iPhones can be thinner, lighter, and cheaper to produce over traditional displays. This is because of the touch-sensitive layer on the incorporated in the display itself, rather than an additional layer.