An Apple Pal patent application released yesterday reveals the idea for a foldable smartphone that may include a “self-healing” display cover, allowing the device to repair dents or scratches covering the screen. Application, spotted by Patented Apple, Originally filed by Apple Pal in January.
As Apple has written in the Play Patent application, the demonstration of the proposed concept will allow the user to modify the device itself without manually interfering. In theory, the foldable self-healing can be activated automatically, such as when the device is charged or on a predefined schedule, and it will use heat, light or electric current to improve the protective layer above the screen.
The patent application also states that the screen cover of the imaginary device may contain a layer of elastomer that may lose and regain its shape to protect the device’s sensory internal actions. In theory, the material for this concept would make the overall performance of the foldable more sustainable.
Several tech companies, including Samsung and Motorola, are already building different styles of foldable phones, but Apple’s proposed self-healing feature will add a unique spin to these devices. Samsung first introduced this type of foldable phone, the Galaxy Fold, which suffers from issues with the durability of the screen’s display. The phone was turned off after some review units failed a quick succession, something my colleague Dieter Bohan found in his review unit.
Basic self-healing technology has already been seen in at least one smartphone, from LG’s G Flex 2013. It had a self-healing rear cover that was supposed to repair small scratches such as knife itching. Although it was not effective, it could not be recovered from the key start during our testing, our reviewer compared it to Wolverine if it could only recover from “paper cuts and nothing else”.
There is no indication that Apple Pal will soon launch a foldable phone with self-healing content. But foldable phones are something that Apple has been working around for years, showing mockups of what looks like a foldable iPhone with other patented apps, which should never be taken advantage of.
