Apple's Foldable Smartphone Plans Unfold: Tri-Fold Design Patent Hints at iPhone 18 Series Hybrid!
American tech giant Apple is reportedly working on a foldable smartphone, with the company filing several patent applications for the same. While the launch date for this innovative device remains undisclosed, Apple has recently updated an older patent that could be related to a tri-fold smartphone design.
The patent, filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), is titled ‘Electronic Devices with Display and Touch Sensor Structures.’ Initially, the patent showed touch sensor structures integrated into the inner display, but Apple has now made several changes to expand its scope. According to Patently Apple, this updated patent connects an external display with a large internal display panel. Additionally, there is another display panel alongside the outer one, indicating a triple-fold design.
This design resembles the recently launched Mate XT, a triple-fold smartphone by Chinese electronics company Huawei. In the Mate XT, the central layer remains hidden when folded, while the outer display remains visible in both folded and unfolded states. Apple’s patent explains that the technology will integrate touch sensor structures on each display wall, allowing each display to independently collect and process touch inputs.
A recent report suggested that Apple might introduce a clamshell-style foldable smartphone with the iPhone 18 series, which could be a hybrid model of the iPad and MacBook. When unfolded, the screen could measure 18.8 inches.
Huawei’s Mate XT, when unfolded, boasts a 10.2-inch (3,184 x 2,232 pixels) flexible LTPO OLED screen. When folded once, it reduces to 7.9 inches (2,048 x 2,232 pixels), and after a second fold, it becomes 6.4 inches (1,008 x 2,232 pixels). The Mate XT also features a 50MP camera with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) and an aperture range of f/1.2 to f/4.0. Additionally, it includes a 12MP ultra-wide camera with an f/2.2 aperture, and a 12MP periscope telephoto lens with 5.5x optical zoom and an f/3.4 aperture.
