Apple has been granted a patent for “Electronic Devices With Expandable Displays” that hints at features for the rumored foldable iPhone, perhaps a foldable iPad, and even a foldable Mac.
About the patent
In the patent Apple notes that portability may be a concern for some devices, which tends to limit available real estate for displays. The tech giant’s idea is for an electronic device that may include a housing and an expandable display coupled to the housing.
The housing and display may be operable in expanded and retracted states. The expandable display may have an exposed portion that remains exposed on the outer surface of the device and a retractable portion that rolls between a retracted position that is hidden behind the exposed portion and a viewable position that is coplanar with the exposed portion.
The display may be mounted to and supported by a frame. In the retracted state, a retractable portion of the display and frame are enclosed within the housing and hidden behind an exposed portion of the display. As the device transitions from the retracted state to the expanded state, the retractable portion of the display and frame may roll around an axis onto the front of the device to increase the size of the viewable display area.
As the device transitions from the expanded state to the retracted state, the retractable portion of the display and frame may roll back around the axis to the retracted position within the housing.
The frame may have a rigid portion that is mostly solid metal supporting the exposed portion of the display and a flexible portion formed from parallel strips of metal supporting the retractable portion of the display. The parallel strips of metal may roll around an axis and may slide along guide rails as the display transitions between expanded and retracted states.
One or more tensioning structures may be coupled to one of the strips of metal and may apply tension to the display. The tensioning structures may include first and second tensioning bars that rotate about an axis during expansion and retraction.
A slider mechanism may include first and second rack-and-gear mechanisms coupled by a common drive shaft to ensure that top and bottom edges of the display are moved in unison during expansion and retraction. Each rack-and-gear mechanism may include upper and lower racks and upper and lower gears to ensure that upper and lower housing portions do not swing away from one another during expansion and retraction.
Summary of the patent
Here’s Apple’s abstract of the patent: “An electronic device may have a housing, an expandable display mounted to the housing, and a frame for supporting the expandable display. The housing, display, and frame may be operable in expanded and retracted states. In the retracted state, an exposed portion of the display is viewable on the outside of the device, while a retractable portion of the display is enclosed within the housing and hidden behind the exposed portion of the display.
“As the device transitions from the retracted state to the expanded state, the retractable portion of the display may roll around an axis onto the front of the device to increase the size of the viewable display area. The frame may have a rigid portion that is mostly solid metal supporting the exposed portion of the display and a flexible portion formed from parallel strips of metal supporting the retractable portion of the display.”
About the iPhone Fold
According to The Information, the outer display on the book-style “iPhone Fold” will have a 5.3-inch cover display and a 7.7-inch main display.
The iPhone Fold will almost certainly arrive in the last half of 2028, probably with a price tag of around US$2,400. Here are some other rumors about the first foldable iPhone:
° There are still some technical difficulties to be solved regarding the crease in the foldable display.
° It may be in short supply at launch due to production challenges.
° It will be a horizontally oriented, book-style foldable with a large internal display.
° The design will prioritize thinness, so there will be a side-mounted Touch ID fingerprint sensor, but no Face ID or an under-display fingerprint sensor.
° Apple is placing great emphasis on hinger durability and crease reduction.
° The foldable iPhone will pack a a dual 48-megapixel rear camera system described as having a “large base.”
° It may have the biggest-ever battery in an iPhone.
° The rear camera will feature a dual-lens setup, with one front-facing camera available in both folded and unfolded states.
° It will measure 9–9.5mm thick when folded and 4.5–4.8mm when unfolded.
° The hinge will combine stainless steel and titanium alloy, while the casing opts for titanium alloy.
° It will use the same high-density battery cells as the ultra-thin iPhone 17.
About the ‘iPad Fold’
A foldable iPad had been rumored for 2027. Then 2028. Now Bloomberg claims it won’t arrive until 2029.
If the report is right, you better start saving your money to buy it now. Bloomberg says it will cost around US$3,000.
The article says Apple is working with Samsung Display to on an 18-inch display panel that has little to no chance of creases developing in the middle of the screen. However, sources told Bloomberg that the large screen has become a complex and expensive problem to solve.
About a foldable Mac
Apple is preparing a series of foldable products including a 19-inch Mac laptop and a foldable iPhone, according to The Wall Street Journal in a December 15, 2024 article
The article claimed the laptop will essentially be the largest-ever MacBook with a foldable 19-inch screen, while the other is a foldable iPhone that would unfold to have an inwards-facing display that’s larger than the one on the 6.9-inch iPhone 16 Pro Max. The WSJ claimed the iPhone will arrive in 2026 or 2027 with the Mac laptop coming later than that.
Rumors of a “MacBook Fold” go back at least three years. In February 2022 analyst Ross Young said Apple was considering a 20-inch foldable MacBook. He said a foldable laptop could form a new product category. If it arrives, it could be a dual-use product: able to work as a notebook with a full-size on-screen keyboard when folded and as a monitor when unfolded and used with an external keyboard. The foldable could also allow for 4K resolutions or higher at the size Apple is investigating, Young added.
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