Apple Applies for "Self-Healing" Foldable iPhone Display Patent
Fueling rumors that a foldable iPhone is on the way.
Apple has applied for a “self-healing” patent for foldable smartphone displays to self-repair itself if damaged. According to a patent filed by the company, the self-healing function repairs the protective layer of the screen through light, heat, and an electric current while the device is folded close. The self-healing function can be operated at the user’s discretion or automatically, and the protective layer will cover the entire display of the foldable device.
Samsung, Motorola, and other smartphone companies are already creating foldable phones, but Apple’s self-healing feature could separate it from its future competitors’ devices. Samsung’s first foldable phone, the Galaxy Fold, suffered multiple durability issues, including its display screen’s integrity. Self-healing technology has been seen in one smartphone, LG’s G Flex from 2013, but proved to be ineffective as it couldn’t even protect from minor key scratches.
It is unlikely that Apple will begin producing foldable phones with this feature anytime soon, but many speculate that Apple has been preparing to introduce its foldable smartphone for years, and the new patent gives credence to that rumor.
In other tech news, Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Fold has the world’s first folding laptop screen.
