Camera system for a foldable iPhone surfaces in Apple's filing for a patent
Apple has filed a new patent application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) called "Camera Systems for Bendable Electronic Devices." This comes as Apple is reportedly testing one of two foldable designs with its top contract manufacturer Foxconn. The latter reportedly put the two designs through Quality Control tests. One design resembles the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 and turns an iPhone into an iPad by opening and closing the device like a book.
The second design being tested, and the one that is supposedly being favored by Apple, is a flip style similar to the Motorola Razr and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5G. Unlike the Galaxy Z Fold 2, the idea is not to turn a smartphone into a tablet while on the fly. Instead, the goal is to be able to fit a large-screened iPhone into a user's pocket and flip it open when needed. And of course, with the flip design, the user can end a phone call by emphatically shutting the device after saying goodbye to the other party. This creates a rewarding and satisfying sound.
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Illustration from Apple's patent application for a bendable camera system
In the patent application, Apple says, "An electronic device may have a flexible housing formed from flexible fabric, flexible polymer, or other flexible materials. Cameras may be mounted on the housing. The housing may be bent into different configurations such as a configuration in which the housing has a convex surface facing an exterior region and a configuration in which the housing has a concave surface facing the exterior region. The cameras may have respective camera image capture directions. By reorienting the cameras by bending the housing, the cameras can be used to capture panoramic images or three-dimensional images."
Another illustration from the patent
The patent application says that the cameras would connect with handset by using wired or wireless technology. This suggests that the cameras could be on a case worn by the phone and not placed directly on the handset. The case would be removable and allow the user to be creative when it comes to snapping pictures and taking videos.
The latest rumors have Apple releasing a foldable iPhone next year.
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