Apple's future foldable phone could have self-healing display tech

Apple's first jump into the foldable smartphone market could be with a new self-healing display, according to a new patent.

Published
Updated
1 minute & 15 seconds read time

Apple will eventually enter the foldable smartphone market, which is currently kinda dominated by Samsung wtih a couple of different foldable smartphones in the Galaxy Z Flip and new Galaxy Z Fold 2 smartphones.

Apple's future foldable phone could have self-healing display tech 05

According to a new patent filed by Apple to the USPTO, a future foldable iPhone could "heal" itself from regular scratches. Not huge dents, but think more of the everyday use of your phone and being put inside and outside of your pocket or placed face-down onto a table, etc.

The patent is titled "Electronic Devices With Flexible Display Cover Layers" and explains: "The flexible portion of the display cover layer may be interposed between first and second rigid portions of the display cover layer. The display cover layer may also include a layer with self-healing properties. The layer of self-healing material may be formed across the entire display cover layer or may be formed only in the flexible region of the display cover layer. The display cover layer may include a layer of elastomer in the flexible region of the display cover layer for increased flexibility".

A self-healing foldable iPhone sounds like magic right now, but the actual self-healing process would be boosted with external things like applying heat, light, electric current, or other stimulating elements. In this patent, Apple is using 3 different parts for the foldable phone: 2 regular panels, a fixed screen, and then a rotating mechanism.

Apple's future foldable phone could have self-healing display tech 06

The patent continues: "During the operation of an electronic device, the display cover layer for the electronic device may be scratched or dented. To improve the aesthetics of the electronic device, it may be desirable for the presence of scratches and dents to be minimized. To help mitigate the number of dents, scratches, or other imperfections in a display cover layer, the display cover layer may include a layer of self-healing material".

Buy at Amazon

Apple iPhone XR, 64GB, Coral - Fully Unlocked (Renewed)

TodayYesterday7 days ago30 days ago
$181.00$184.75-
* Prices last scanned on 3/28/2024 at 5:05 pm CDT - prices may not be accurate, click links above for the latest price. We may earn an affiliate commission.

Anthony joined the TweakTown team in 2010 and has since reviewed 100s of graphics cards. Anthony is a long time PC enthusiast with a passion of hate for games built around consoles. FPS gaming since the pre-Quake days, where you were insulted if you used a mouse to aim, he has been addicted to gaming and hardware ever since. Working in IT retail for 10 years gave him great experience with custom-built PCs. His addiction to GPU tech is unwavering and has recently taken a keen interest in artificial intelligence (AI) hardware.

Newsletter Subscription

Related Tags