With Samsung gearing up to launch its first foldable phone soon, rival Apple is also working on a foldable iPhone which could be the opposite of how the foldable phone of Samsung will look like.
Apple is reportedly working on prototypes of a foldable iPhone which folds outside, unlike Samsung’s which folds inside.
One of the reasons why Samsung had opted for an in-folding design is the fact that it is easier to manufacture them. On the other hand, manufacturing “out-folding” designs is relatively difficult. Also, it is less durable than the in-foldable counterpart.

Meanwhile, Apple had recently bagged another patent around the additions the company intends to incorporate in its originally planned foldable device.

The second patent is focused on a flexible hinge and the use of a fabric for its housing.

The iPhone-maker had received its first patent to develop a foldable smartphone from the US Patent and Trademark office in November 2016 that described a display that could be opened and closed like a book.

The initial patent was described as, “An electronic device may have a hinge that allows the device to be flexed about a bend axis. A display may span the bend axis. To facilitate bending about the bend axis, the display may have layers such as a display cover layer with grooves or other recesses. The recesses form a flexible portion in the display layer. The display layer may be formed from glass or other materials that are transparent. Elastomeric material, fluids, and other materials may be placed in the recesses in the display layer. The material in the display layer may have an index of refraction that is matched to the index of refraction of the display layer. A hinge may be formed between rigid planar layers that are separated by a gap. Flexible layers that lie flush with opposing surfaces of the rigid planar layers may be used to span the gap.”

As far as the launch of the first foldable iPhone is concerned, it seems people will have to wait for a couple years. Apple could reportedly introduce the foldable iPhone in 2020.

Source: gadgetsnow.com