Apple is known to be working on a foldable iPhone for quite a while. The company filed a patent with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) last October. USPTO has now published the patent application, which reveals the key features of the hinge of Apple’s foldable device.

The company’s first foldable iPhone appears to be a flip-style device similar to the Samsung Galaxy Flip series. Apple’s hinge mechanism is rumored to offer a “greater range of motion”.

The FIG.1 represents a foldable Apple device, which according to the company, is a cellular phone, a computer, or other portable electronic device. So, Apple might be working on other devices such as a foldable iPad as well alongside foldable iPhones. Notably, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expected a hybrid foldable iPad-MacBook to go into mass production in 2027.

The FIG. 2 is a side view of a portion of an illustrative electronic device having a hinge with links. According to the company, the display may fold in both directions (inwards and outwards) with this hinge design. While it will be a one-of-a-kind device on the market, the company didn’t confirm that it will happen in the near future.

The patent images reveal that the foldable devices from the company will equip synchronization gear plates with interlocked teeth. It will allow for “synchronized rotational movement between the left and right halves of the hinge.” The hinge may have multiple interconnected points that may be coupled to each other for rotational motion.

Nonetheless, you should note that companies including Apple file multiple patents every about the technologies they are working on. However, only a few of them make their way to an end product. So, there’s practically no guarantee that a folding iPhone or another Apple device will hit the shelves with the patented technologies.

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