New patent suggests that Apple could bring a foldable iPhone with a self-healing display in the future

• Apple gets a patent for a foldable device with a self-healing display.
• It could use elastomer, an elastic material that regains its shape when heated.
• The tech could be integrated into iPhones and watches.

Apple’s interest in foldable technology is evident, as the tech giant has recently been granted several patents related to the technology.

The latest patent, granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office, reveals an idea for a foldable smartphone that would include a self-healing display cover, allowing the device to repair dents or scratches covering the screen. This patent could potentially address one of the main concerns with foldable devices: their durability and fragility. Also, this technology could be used in the upcoming Apple iPhone and watch.

The patent relates to a display, that is made up of multiple layers, including a flexible substrate, a thin-film transistor, and a protective layer. This protective layer is designed to prevent cracks from forming in the flexible substrate, which is the part of the display most prone to damage. The self-healing technology would allow the display to recover from small scratches, another common issue with foldable devices.

In the patent application, Apple wrote that foldable self-healing could activate automatically when the device is being charged. It would use light, heat, or electric current to repair the protective layer above the screen. The patent application also says that the device screen cover may include a layer of elastomer that can lose and regain its shape to protect the sensitive inner workings of a device.
Reincarnation of self-healing technology
Self-healing technology has been seen in one smartphone, LG’s G Flex which was released in 2013. The device had a self-healing rear cover to repair minor knife scratches. Now, Apple is experimenting with the same technology, and refining it before potentially releasing a foldable iPhone.

Several tech companies, including Oppo and Samsung, are already making different styles of foldable phones, but Apple’s self-healing feature would add a unique spin to its foldable iPhone.

There is no news that Apple will launch a foldable phone with self-healing material soon. But foldable phones are something Apple has been toying around for years.

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