The trend of foldable smartphones is growing at a fast pace, and most of the brands are catching up with the same. While the Android smartphone makers like Samsung, Oppo, and Vivo have already produced multiple foldable devices in the market, it seems like Apple is also planning to infiltrate the market pretty soon. In a recent development, US Patent and Trademark Office has granted a new patent to Apple for a foldable display that will be crack resistant, most probably for iPhone Fold.
The foldable display for iPhone Fold could come with multiple layers, like a flexible substrate, a thin-film transistor layer, and a protective layer that prevents crack formation in the flexible substrate. Speculations are that the mentioned technology will be tested on a foldable iPad and a foldable iPhone as well.
Self-healing displays for iPhone Fold
Not only this, but another report by GizmoChina suggested that Apple has been granted another patent for self-healing displays that will be used in foldable devices by the company. And it is not happening for the first time that we’ve heard rumors surrounding Apple’s self-healing display.
An application spotted by Patently stated that Apple first filed a patent for a self-healing display in January 2020. Rumors have it that the Cupertino giant is primarily focusing on a foldable iPad as compared to a foldable smartphone. This move will also help Apple in testing its foldable tech before releasing it on iPhones. Furthermore, iPads are less important than iPhones to the company considering the market size of both devices.
Will Apple be able to disrupt the foldable smartphone market?
In the past, we have seen multiple examples of Apple making its own identity in different gadget markets. For example, in recent years, Chinese smartphone makers have offered almost everything they can to compete with Apple; still, there is a large void to cover. This is the main reason why multiple brands are unable to disrupt the market of the Cupertino giant and make a dent in its customer acquisition and retention model.
This is why the hopes are already high for Apple. We expect that the iPhone Fold or the iPad Fold will give tough competition to other devices available in the market, like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, Oppo Find N2, Vivo X Fold, etc. That said, one thing which we are already sure of is that Apple’s foldable products will be available in the market at a slightly higher price point as compared to other brands.
