The folding smartphone market welcomes a growing number of players, but Apple has not yet released any model of this type. This does not prevent the Cupertino company from looking into the question for a few years, which is reflected in particular by quite interesting patents. There is therefore a chance that the brand will eventually release a mobile, a tablet or even a folding screen MacBook, even if nothing has ever been officially confirmed. However, it will have a hard time dealing with Samsung, which dominates this market.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 accounts for a large share of sales in the folding smartphone market. © The Digital
A recent patent application, published on March 16, 2023 on the website of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, reminds us that the project still exists. We discover a solution intended to better protect a folding model in the event of a fall. Appointed “Self-retracting slab device and fall detection techniques to protect the screen”, it is a motorized solution that closes the screen on itself before impact. An interesting idea, since the foldable tiles are by nature more fragile.
The operation would be rather simple, but effective. It consists of connecting a sensor to the accelerometer so that it sends a signal when it falls. This electronically adjustable locking mechanism will prevent damage to the internal screen, which is much more vulnerable than any external panel. The patent specifies that a closure, even partial, will better protect the latter, because the angles of the smartphone will tend to touch the ground first.
The system would close the screen before it hits the ground. © United States Patent and Trademark Office
This would be an opportunity to offer a necessarily more sustainable product, an aspect to which Apple is particularly attached. However, this does not mean that this technology will be integrated into the final product, or even that the latter will see the light of day, as a large part of the patents filed are never used by smartphone manufacturers.
This confirms in any case the growing interest of Apple for the question. However, the firm does not seem to be in a hurry, since it has still not expressed itself clearly on the subject. It should be remembered, however, that the folding market remains a niche, with only 14 million units sold in 2022, including 12 million by Samsung. This therefore leaves a still significant margin to gain market share in the future.