A recently discovered patent application, which shows that Apple is looking for a way to better protect its devices from drops, also suggests that work on the foldable iPhone continues.
The application, found on the website of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, is called Screen Protection Techniques Using Self-Retracting Display Device and Drop Detection. While that name is quite long, it briefly describes Apple’s goals of minimizing screen damage. As explained in this application, a foldable device will have some sort of sensor, such as an accelerometer. If this sensor detects that the iPhone has been dropped, it will send an “electronically adjustable locking mechanism” signal to quickly shut down the phone.
The application implies that if the iPhone is too close to the ground, the mechanism may remain partially open, not completely closing. But the patent states that this isn’t a problem, stating that “even folding the screen at an angle of less than 180 degrees can provide some protection.”
It seems that Apple has also examined the hinge issue in the application. Instead of a regular hinge in the middle, the foldable iPhone may consist of two separate displays that connect when the device is opened. Therefore, when the phone is turned off, the top screen stays separate from the bottom screen, which should help protect it. Since the document does not describe exactly how the system will work, it is not possible to say anything definite about it.
A large part of the patent document talks about the capabilities of the foldable iPhone. For example, the sensor behind the fall protection may consist of “accelerometers, gyroscopes, compasses and/or other components” to detect motion. However, Apple does not directly mention any technology. The most important thing for the company is that the internal mechanisms can automatically shut down by sensing that the drop rate “exceeds a predetermined threshold”. It is not yet clear whether the device can actually detect a drop fast enough to shut down completely.
Although foldable iPhone rumors have been circulating on the internet for about three years, there is no definite information yet. The latest leaks say that a foldable iPhone could launch in 2025.
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