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A new patent application by Apple suggests the company could be working on a ‘expandable’ phone design with a rollable screen. The patent suggests the design could involve a screen that bends inside the device itself, around a roller.
First spotted by BGR, the patent, filed by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is mentioned as “Electronic Devices Having Sliding Expandable Displays.”The patent also mentions that a portion of the flexible display goes inside the phone casing when in the unexpanded state, suggesting that the display may be bent or rolled inside.
Xiaomi too has received a similar patent in the past and the Oppo X 2021 is an actual phone that already exists with a screen that can expand via a motorised mechanism when the user needs it to.
One of the biggest issues with the more complex forms of smartphone screens you see today are that they use hinges. The most crucial part also becomes the Achilles’ heel in these products as was best displayed in the first-gen Samsung Galaxy Fold. The hinge serves as a perfect opening for tiny dust particles to get inside and over time, compromise the mechanism.
However, unlike foldable phones, rolling screens do not use a hinge. With the hinge gone, these devices also need not worry about the wear and tear associated with it. As a bonus, a hinge-less screen also means a crease-less screen.
However, the company currently is likely working on its foldable iPhone which won’t launch until 2024, as per analyst Ming Chi Kuo.
The foldable iPhone will be a likely product in the near future, and this particular patent could be used in a much later device. It is also possible that Apple never makes a phone with such a design, which is also something that happens with a lot of patents.
