The US Patent & Trademark Office recently published an Apple patent application for "an electronic device [that] may have a flexible portion that allows [it] to be folded."
The patent in question was filed back in September 2016, shortly before the company was granted a patent for a similar foldable product.
The latest patent describes flexible displays with touch sensors and portions that bend like "being opened and closed like a book."
Apple has previously been awarded patents for flexible screens and a foldable phone with "carbon nanotubes" that bend to form the center hinge. Other Apple patents include a 360-degree screen that wraps entirely around a phone and smart glasses to rival Google's failed Glass product.
It is to be noted that Apple often files for patents which never see the actual release, but these documents provide hints about product possibilities for the future.
This patent could apply to more than just an Apple-branded flip phone. The patent’s flexible display could be applied to Macbooks, iPads and Apple watch product as well.
Flip phones were popularized in the early 2000s, with Moto RAZR still a cult favourite. Their popularity dwindled as the time passed, in favor of rectangular rounded touchscreen slabs, but recently flip phones have experienced a sales uptick, especially in Asia.
Earlier this year, Samsung debuted a new high-end flip phone with a touchscreen in China. The company is also working on another smartphone with a foldable display set to be released next year. Most recently, Korean media reports indicate LG is also working on the foldable technology with Apple.
with inputs from softpedia.
