Apple is working on multiple new types of iPhones and a foldable model is not the only one on the list.
The Cupertino giant also seems to be working on a rollable iPhone with a sliding screen, as reported by Patently Apple. According to their report, Apple has been granted a patent for this technology that was filed on November 2022 and published earlier this week.
The patent describes an electronic device that:
May be moved between an unrolled state in which the display is planar and a rolled state in which a rollable portion of the display is rolled up for storage.
The patent highlights the implementation of a “locally thinned” layer of glass in the rollable section of a display. The display is arranged to ensure that the “compressive stress in the outwardly facing glass surface may help deter any damage when the display is flexed.”
While the patent predominantly refers to electronic devices that feature displays, it also particularly singles out portable devices such as smartphones.
Rollable displays are indeed feasible. LG has been a pioneer in this specialty area with its rollable OLED TV and a nearly launched rollable phone that unfortunately never hit the market. Motorola and Oppo have also presented several rollable phone concepts, but neither company ever released such a device to the mainstream.
Apple, on the other hand, is generally more prudent when incorporating such technologies into its widely available products. The existence of a patent for devices with rollable displays from Apple provides some hope for a possible rollable iPhone or iPad in the future.
However, it’s advisable not to anticipate this development anytime soon.
