Skip to main content

Apple's future smartphone might have a display on the front and back

apple oled microled display iphone iphoneinus wr
Image used with permission by copyright holder
There’s a lot of unused surface area on today’s smartphone — sure, the front is mostly display, and there’s a camera on the back, but the rest of the back is normally just blank space.

If Apple has its way, however, a future version of the iPhone could have a display on both the front and the back — that’s if the company’s latest patent is anything to go by.

The phone in the patent doesn’t have two displays — instead it has one that wraps all the way around the phone. Of course, the iPhone has enough of an issue with battery life as is — thankfully, Apple has found a way to ensure that the whole display doesn’t have to be on at all times, using face trackers. These would determine where you’re looking at the phone and which portion of the display needs to be on.

iphone-patent-display-around-phone
Image used with permission by copyright holder

To take advantage of the larger display, the patent shows that buttons and controls would be moved to the bottom, except for the volume control, which would become a software control rather than a hardware button.

It’s pretty unlikely that we’ll see this patent come to fruition any time soon — not only would it be hard for today’s smartphone user to get used to, but it might not be as durable as some would hope. You might remember that until the 5, the iPhone had a glass back that was prone to cracking and was eventually switched out for the aluminum design we have on the iPhone now.

Of course, Apple isn’t the only one working on devices with more displays. Samsung is said to be working on a foldable phone for release sometime this year or next year. If that ends up being a hit, Apple may feel like it has to come up with an innovation of its own when it comes to the screen, and this patent could hint at what we’ll see.

Editors' Recommendations

Christian de Looper
Christian’s interest in technology began as a child in Australia, when he stumbled upon a computer at a garage sale that he…
Does the iPad Air (2024) have a 120Hz display?
An official photo of the 2024 iPad Air.

During its “Let Loose” event, Apple announced two new iPad Air models, with one featuring an 11-inch screen and the other boasting a 13-inch screen. But those weren’t the only upgrades. The slates also come with a new placement for the 12MP front-facing camera, beefed-up Spatial Audio thanks to landscape speakers, and double the bass for the larger model, among other additions.

But one of the biggest requests Apple fans have been making for years now is a 120Hz screen. With premium Android tablets like the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9, S9+, and Tab S9 Ultra boasting a rich, high-refresh OLED display at 120Hz, the iPad Air series has long felt like it's a few hardware steps back compared to the top-tier Android tablets. So, does this new iPad Air for 2024 have a 120Hz display?
Does the iPad Air (2024) have a 120Hz display?

Read more
This is the iPhone concept of my dreams
iPhone concept mimicking iPad Pro desgn.

It’s an odd day to be talking about iPhone design. Yesterday, Apple delivered what can be called the pinnacle of tablet aesthetics with the 2024 iPad Pro, which is even slimmer than the iPod Nano. Today, Bloomberg reports that Duncan Kerr -- a design executive from the legendary Jony Ive group and was a key figure behind the iPhone, iPad, and Mac products since 1999 -- is leaving the company.

It’s a great loss for Apple and disheartening news for iPhone enthusiasts. Apple almost seems obsessed with the design language it introduced with the iPhone 11 series. And if recent leaks are any indication, we are going back to the iPhone X days with the non-Pro iPhone 16 models later this year.

Read more
A big iPhone update is right around the corner
An iPhone 15 Pro Max sitting upright, showing one of its home screens.

With announcements for 2024 models of the iPad Air and iPad Pro, today's been a busy day of Apple news. But the iPad isn't the only Apple product in the news today. Following the big announcements from its event earlier this morning, Apple also shared some important news regarding the next iPhone update.

As of Tuesday, May 7, Apple has begun rolling out RC builds for iOS 17.5. RC stands for "Release Candidate," and it's the last beta version of a software update that Apple releases before its final public rollout. In other news, the official iOS 17.5 update should be right around the corner.

Read more