A future foldable iPhone could have a self-healing screen
Ryan Haines / Android Authority TL;DR Apple has filed a patent for a self-healing foldable screen. The screen could heal itself from scratches and dents without user intervention or via external stimuli. We’ve been hearing rumors and reading reports about Apple’s foldable devices for a while now, although it seems like we shouldn’t expect the […]
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Apple has filed a patent for a self-healing foldable screen.
- The screen could heal itself from scratches and dents without user intervention or via external stimuli.
We’ve been hearing rumors and reading reports about Apple’s foldable devices for a while now, although it seems like we shouldn’t expect the company’s first device any time soon. However, a new patent points to a potential area of differentiation for a future foldable from Apple.
Apple Insider spotted a Apple patent which was filed with the United States Patent and Trade Office (USPTO). The patent describes a device with a self-healing foldable screen, adding that it could be anything from a laptop or tablet to a smartphone, monitor or wearable. The filing states that the self-healing material – which is said to heal scratches and dents – can cover the entire screen cover layer or just the flexible/flexible part of it.
Apple also describes how healing would occur:
Self-healing can occur in the layer of self-healing material without warning (for example, when the self-healing coating is dented, the coating material may fill the dent even without external intervention). Alternatively, self-healing may be initiated or accelerated by external application of heat, light, electric current, or any other type of external stimulus.
The iPhone maker also discussed the possibility of heat-induced healing during wired or wireless charging or on a predetermined schedule.
A familiar feature returns in the foldable era?
This wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen self-healing technology used on a gadget, however. LG notably offered self-healing backs on the G Flex and G Flex 2 smartphones in the mid-2010s. This technology healed minor scratches on the back, although it did not heal larger gouges and damage .
This would still be a good idea for foldable phone screens, as their plastic nature makes them more prone to scratches than regular glass screens. Much like the aforementioned LG phones, we believe the self-healing abilities won’t work with larger damage.
It’s worth pointing out that this is just a patent, so there is no guarantee that Apple will bring this technology to a future foldable device. Either way, this feature would still be a nice feather in Apple’s cap if the company ever chooses to bring it to a foldable iPhone.
