Flip phones, which we suppose was the original foldable phone, are poised to make a comeback, except that this time they’ll be sporting full touchscreen displays. Samsung is rumored to be one of the companies leading the charge with a handset known as the Galaxy X, but it seems that Apple could also be interested.
In a recently discovered patent (via TNW), it seems that Apple has filed a patent for what appears to be a smartphone that can be folded. The patent’s description is rather broad, which we expect was designed that way on purpose so as to cover a wide array of devices, and reads, “may be a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a cellular telephone, a wristwatch, or other electronic device.”
That being said there’s no guarantee that the patent will be granted to Apple, and even if it were, there are no promises that Apple will follow through and make it a reality. After all many tech companies, including Apple, file patents all the time for ideas that may or may not be turned into an actual product, but it’s still interesting to think about the possibilities.
While Samsung might be the frontrunner when it comes to foldable phones, a recent report has indicated that the company might not be alone, and that we can expect multiple foldable smartphones next year from the likes of ZTE, Huawei, OPPO, and so on.