Apple prepares to launch foldable smartphone, company gets patent

Sales of foldable smartphones have increased rapidly in the last few years. American devices maker Apple is also preparing to launch its smartphone in this segment. The company has received a patent related to the hinge mechanism for foldable devices. Apart from smartphones, this hinge can also be used in other foldable devices.

South Korea’s Samsung has the highest share in the market of foldable smartphones. According to a report by GSMArena, information about Apple’s new hinge design is available in a document published on the website of the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). It is an electronic device connected with a hinge structure. It bends around an axis. It has a flexible display which is divided into two parts. Apple has said that the new hinge mechanism has two sets of rotational synchronization gears. Their design is designed to control the way the device is folded.

Recently Apple updated an old patent. This patent could be for a tri-fold smartphone. The patent, filed with the USPTO, is titled ‘Electronics Devices with Display and Touch Sensor Structures’. Earlier, touch sensor structures were shown inside the display, but Apple has expanded the scope of this patent by making many changes in it. Patently Apple has looked at this patent. In this, the outer display has been combined with a large internal display panel. This patent also has another display panel along with the outer display. The new structure of this smartphone is indicating a triple fold design.

This is similar to Chinese electronics company Huawei’s recently launched triple fold smartphone Mate XT, in which the central layer is hidden when folded. Its outer display is visible in both folded and unfolded positions. This patent application of Apple states that the technology will add touch sensor structures to each display wall and each display will collect and process touch input separately. Earlier in a media report, it was said that a clamshell-style foldable smartphone can be brought with Apple’s iPhone 18 series. This could be a hybrid model of iPad and MacBook.