Apple has applied for a patent on its latest offering, a bendable phone that has self-healing display technology. It had applied for this patent last year and has recently made it public.
According to the filed patent, the self-healing feature is capable of restoring the protective layer of the screen via light, heat, and electric current when the device is folded closed. It can be operated at the user’s discretion or automatically, and this protective layer will entirely cover the display of the foldable device.
Apple develops self-healing display technology to minimize “scratching problem”
Presently, bendable technology in smartphones is still in a very early stage. These phones are prone to more screen scratches than regular phones. It is due to dirt or any other material that comes in contact with the screen leading to a scratching problem, especially when the phone is folded or bent.
To counter this, the iPhone giant is looking for a solution that reduces scratching. One alternative could be to cover the surface with a layer of material having self-healing capabilities. In its patent application, it is looking to make and sell a new bendable or foldable phone.
Eight people named inventors of the self-healing display technology in the patent application
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Also, it is not mentioned in the patent application when the self-healing will occur, whether on-demand, at night during charging, or maintenance. It has listed eight people in the application as the inventors of this self-healing technology. The name of the technology is “Electronic Devices with Flexible Display Cover Layers”.
Apple’s self-healing feature, a huge differentiator in the bendable phone product category
Other companies like Samsung and Motorola are already in the process of creating foldable phones, but Apple’s self-healing feature could act as a huge differentiator to its future competitors. Galaxy Fold, Samsung’s first foldable phone, suffered from several durability issues like the display screen’s integrity. Also, the self-healing function was present in LG’s G Flex, released in 2013, but it was ineffective as it could not protect the screen from minor scratches.
It is not likely that the iPhone giant will start the production of foldable phones with the self-healing function soon. But, there has been speculation that Apple will release a foldable phone, and the news of a patent filing has given credit to this rumor.
