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This feature may be new to the iPhone, but not on smartphones economy. The new LCDs will replace the glass layer with plastic which can bend and flex and therefore, would reduce forces caused by impact damage. To be able to achieve this, Apple's proposed design relies on being an OLED display and a metal support structure. For the skeleton, it proposes nitinol, a nickel, and a titanium alloy, which is elastic and has unique shape memory abilities.
Popularized by Motorola during the 90s, the design is like a clamshell that can fold in two for easy storage. In some examples, the design includes a chassis or device housing; split into upper and lower sections, the upper housing might incorporate speaker modules, light sensors, camera(s), and display controllers, while the lower housing holds microphones, vibrator, CPU and GPU, and other necessary parts.
The two main parts are attached by way of a single- or multi-shaft hinge mechanism that allows [and supports] rotational motion. Through flexible printed circuit boards, connections between the two housings are possible. Apple has proposed many designs. In one example, the device housing may include sawtooth detents for clipping onto a user's clothing. Alternatively, after folding over, the phone would be like an old clamshell cellphone, which offers additional protection from other elements or the display could be facing onward for easy operating access according to Apple Insider, .
This may not be Apple's endgame. If this technology is applied inside upcoming iPhones, there would be a reduced number of warranty repairs and out-of-warranty repairs. It could enhance the current design of the Apple watch to allow a form-fitting screen according to an article on Forbes,.
The 2017 iPhone lineup is also rumored to include three devices: two 5.5-inch models with different displays, and a 4.7-inch model. The former may include dual cameras. Filed first on July of 2014, Apple's foldable iPhone patent credits Andrew J, M Janis, Fletcher R. Rothkopf, and Teodor Dabor as the inventors.
