That rumor has been around for a long time Apple comes with a foldable iPhone. A new patent granted to the tech giant suggests it is developing a foldable device that will allow users to interact with multiple parts of the smartphone to perform different tasks.

Virtual buttons would be placed on the sides of the device for users to do control the camera, volume, screen brightness and other options.

Apple is working to offer a foldable iPad by 2024, an analyst believes

The foldable iPhone has yet to be seen, but would allow it Apple competes with Samsung. It has been discussed that the device may have a front wall, an opposing back wall and curved side walls. The front wall may be made of glass, which Apple started using with the iPhone 12. “A foldable electronic device may have a flexible transparent wall portion,” the patent says.

The smartphone could also be designed with a flexible transparent wall section that connects to flat transparent walls. “Components can be placed between the flat transparent walls and the opaque walls,” the patent states. The phone would consist of a series of overlapping layersthat where would be included touch sensorsboth on the top, the back and even on the sides of the terminal.

This way the device would fold. Photo: Apple

The patent images suggest that the phone would open vertically to offer a larger screen, compared to other models that open horizontally to form a tablet-like device.

The difference with the foldable iPhone

A new feature of these devices is that It would have a screen that can repair itself if it sustains minor scratches or breaks. In addition, Apple would allow its users to use this feature manually.

According to the patent, the foldable iPhone screen would have a layer of elastomers, which could be restored to its original state by heat, light or electric current and thus repair the screen.