Apple could be preparing its new unbreakable folding device according to information that we have recently learned. This important improvement can give us a better idea of why the brand is taking so long to launch the long-awaited new folding iPhone, but above all it shows us more details about what we can expect.
The truth is that Apple could be preparing a new folding iPhone and it will do it in a big way since it is working on a technology that allows iPhones and iPads with flexible panels to detect when they fall and fold automatically before reaching sleep. This would minimize damage and prevent the screen from breaking.
The company has been working on these foldable devices for a long time and has also experimented with rollable displays. For this reason, they will present, as other brands have done before, a larger screen in a smaller device that fits in your pocket. All this will be done taking into account that it is potentially vulnerable to damage. They have thought of everything.
A patent shows us
We have been able to see a patent application called ‘Self Retractable Display Device and Techniques for Protecting the Screen Using Fall Detection’ which describes ways to protect devices with this screen. They could apply it to the new folding iPhones.
Whether the device folds on a hinge or the screen can be removed from a base, Apple proposes that the screen can be detached. Instead of a delicate hinge or brittle connection, the screen could detach or fold away, protecting itself from drops and other potential hazards. It would do it when necessary, and this is when it detects that the device is dropped.
That’s how they would work
As indicated in the patent, mobiles with foldable and rollable screens can use a sensor to detect vertical acceleration, for example, when they can move towards the ground, to determine if it has fallen. Therefore, if it detects this situation, it can be retracted at least partially to protect the screen when it hits the ground. In this case, two options are presented, which are to retract the screen or release it. These two would save us from one of the most common fears when buying a folding mobile, and that is the fragility of their screens.
The process may include activation of a release mechanism . It will do so with the hinged connection between a first and a second screen when the vertical acceleration exceeds a predetermined threshold. Activation reduces the angle between the first and second screen below a certain threshold angle.
This fits with the idea of a folding device, although if it is not possible the screen could be folded backwards. Only by folding the screen in an angle less than 180 degrees can you get some protection because the edges of the mobile would be hit instead of your screen. In the case of rollable devices, these can retract the screen if the predetermined acceleration limits are exceeded.
In any case, this will depend on how fast the fall is or the height at which it is registered . Although it does not guarantee total protection against falls, it would help to keep these phones from being so fragile. This is something important in some devices that will not be exactly cheap. Its inventors, Hoon Sik Kim and Michael B. Wittenberg, had previously worked out the details of a new foldable iPhone that we have yet to see on the market.
Apple has not confirmed or denied anything
We will have to wait if one day Apple pronounces itself on the matter and confirms that they are working on a new folding iPhone to find out when these will hit the market. We are looking forward to knowing what they are like and what their main characteristics are. For now, all are rumors and there is nothing that assures us that they will appear at some point. Although everything seems to indicate that they are closer than we think.