Apple would have a surprising idea to save a folding iPhone from falls


Apple has not officially entered the folding smartphone market. A patent of the company, however, allows to discover an astonishing idea, which would preserve a potential folding iPhone from a fall.

Introduced in 2019 on the smartphone market, folding models have not yet slipped into all pockets. For manufacturers, one of the main difficulties in the design of these phones is undoubtedly robustness. Even if we take great care of it, a smartphone will inevitably fall one day. Although Apple has yet to officially introduce a folding iPhone, it also seems to be concerned about the sturdiness of such devices, judging by a patent filed by the brand. The document was spotted on March 18, 2023 by TechRadar.

Apple’s idea, according to this patent, is amazing: the phone would be able to close automatically to protect it from the clumsiness of its owner. The patent can be viewed on the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) website. The title of the document could be translated as ” Self-retracting display device and fall detection screen protection techniques “, as noted by our colleagues from Frandroid.

A sensor to bend the iPhone during its fall

Behind this complicated title, what is hiding? Concretely, the phone would be equipped with a sensor, a kind of accelerometer (capable of measuring the acceleration of movement). It is this component that would be able to detect if the folding iPhone would be falling. A ” locking mechanism would then be engaged in order to quickly fold the phone.

Extract from the patent. // Source: USPTO screenshot

What if the iPhone is already too close to the ground (or other surface) while the mechanism engages? Would the phone have time to bend completely? Probably not. But, “even bending the screen to an angle less than 180 degrees can provide some protection“, according to the patent, because it would prevent the screen from being bumped – only the edges of the mobile would be.

The patent also mentions the junction between the two pieces of the folding phone: instead of containing a hinge, the device could have two separate screens connecting to each other when the smartphone is open. The two screens would no longer be united once the iPhone was folded, which would make it all more robust.

For further

Oppo // Source: Thomas Ancelle for Numerama

All of this should be considered with great caution: the filing of a patent by a brand does not necessarily mean that the technology will be implemented in its future products. It should also be remembered that rumors suggest that Apple’s first folding device could be an iPad, launched in 2024, and not an iPhone.


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