Apple is currently filing many patents for future technology and the Cupertino giant recently applied for a patent that suggests a foldable phone maybe in the works. Companies like Samsung and LG are already working on devices that will have a foldable display and it seems like Apple is not going to be left behind.  

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Samsung's much rumoured Galaxy X has already been touted to have a screen that can bend and has already cleared certification in South Korea. Apple's patent does not point towards a smartphone specifically as the gadget “may be a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a cellular telephone, a wristwatch, or other electronic device.” 

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The patent application mentioned an OLED panel that will be used for this device and has also included other display types such as an LCD and micro-LEDs. The application says “Display may include an array of display pixels formed from liquid crystal display (LCD) components, an array of electrophoretic display pixels, an array of organic light-emitting diode display pixels, an array of pixels formed from crystalline semiconductor light-emitting diode dies (sometimes referred to as micro-LEDs), an array of electrowetting display pixels, or display pixels based on other display technologies. Examples in which display has been formed from organic light-emitting diode pixels or micro-LED pixels may sometimes be described herein as an example).”

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Apple's patents don't come as a surprise to us, as many companies are already looking into bendable smartphones and ZTE has already launched a smartphone that folds. Having said that, Apple is yet to be granted this patent and we could see this new feature implemented in the coming years. 

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Apple has been granted a patent for related technologies in the past and it may just be a matter of time before we see a foldable iPhone. Apple has previously been granted a patent for flexible screens, and this new patent just reaffirms Apple's future in foldable smartphones. Previous reports have suggested that a foldable iPhone may come to the market by 2021 and the company will most likely use a micro-OLED panel. These new types of displays work just like an OLED panel with additional benefits such as, further boosting brightness, saturation and power efficiency.

Source: PatentlyApple, 9to5Mac