There have been a number of rumours surrounding a foldable iPhone of late, and in fact, there have been a couple of suggestions of a foldable iPad too with a screen that extends to 18.8-inches, making it a couple of inches larger than the biggest MacBook.
Despite Apple having not entered the foldable market as yet though, it’s possible that it won’t just be a foldable iPhone or iPad on the cards when it does. A recent patent, spotted by Apple Insider, has indicated that a foldable Apple Watch could be a possibility at some point in the future. We know, we know, sounds very farfetched, doesn’t it?
The patent is for a “Wearable Electronic Device”, and it talks about this device including a display that can be folded or extended. The “wearable electronic device, such as a smartwatch, can include a display with an extendable screen size,” the patent application suggests, before adding “in particular, the display can be folded to be compact, and the display can be extended when increased screen size is desired”.
It also talks about various use cases you might want a foldable Apple Watch for, or a foldable wearable electronic device we should say. The patent reads: “A user may want the display to be extended when using certain applications, making phone/ video calls, playing games, browsing the web, etc.”
It appreciates that an Apple Watch folding out into an iPhone-like device won’t work for everyday activities however, adding: “On the other hand, the user may want the display to be folded for convenience and portability, such as when the user is going about their day-to-day activities, outdoor activities, etc.”
When the Apple Watch first launched it was reliant on the iPhone, and that’s still true to some extent, though you can now get models with cellular connection, and the Apple Watch has its own App Store too.
If this patent ever resulted in an actual device however, the folding Apple Watch would surely be independent of the iPhone given it would seemingly have its own camera and smarts to allow you to do most of what you would do on your iPhone on your wrist.
It’s worth pointing out that Apple – and others – file hundreds of patents every year and not all result in an actual product so we may never see a folding Apple Watch. It’s interesting that it’s a consideration though.
Britta is a freelance technology journalist who has been writing about tech for over a decade. She’s covered all consumer…
Oppo’s next phone has an iPhone 16 Pro-beating feature
Oppo’s compact flagship phone is close to launching, is confirmed to be called the Oppo Find X8s. The company has been teasing its advancements over the competition fervently and recently threw light on the phone’s display upgrades over other phones, including one way it beats the iPhone 16 Pro.
The Oppo Find X8s is claimed to feature extremely thin bezels along all four sides of its display. Zhou Yibao, the product manager for Oppo’s flagship Find series, shared an image on Chinese social media Weibo comparing the bezels on the upcoming compact phone — previously speculated to be called the Find X8 Mini — with those on what appears to be an iPhone 16 Pro or the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Apple’s rumored foldable iPad and iPhone could arrive by 2027
We’ve seen folding devices from many of the big tech players but while Samsung is currently on its 6th generation of the Galaxy Z Fold, and Google on its second Pixel Fold, Apple is still nowhere to be seen in the market.
That’s not unusual, Apple typically launches features and designs a little later than others, and sometimes not at all – it’s never done an under display fingerprint sensor for example.
iPhone 17 Air might not serve a price shock, after all
Ever since we first heard murmurs of Apple prepping an ultra-slim iPhone, speculations were rife about a fittingly high asking price. But it seems buyers won’t get hit with an absurd “innovation tax” for the iPhone 17 Air model later this year.
According to Bloomberg, the upcoming phone might be priced at “roughly $900.” To put that into perspective, that’s the same asking price as the iPhone 16 Plus. To recall, the iPhone 17 Air is expected to replace the “Plus” model in Apple’s line-up later this year.
A few pleasant surprises
The package, however, is going to be a mixed bag of surprises. For example, the slim phone is expected to offer a 6.6-inch display, but it will borrow the ProMotion display tech from the pricier Pro models. So far, the high refresh rate perk has been exclusive to Apple’s flagship iPhones and iPads.
[ For more curated Apple news, check out the main news page here]
The post Never mind a foldable iPhone, what about a foldable Apple Watch? first appeared on www.digitaltrends.com
