Will iPhone 13 be a foldable phone?

Apple has been playing around with the idea of a foldable phone, which we can call the iPhone Flip, iPhone Fold, or iPhone 13 for a while, and we know this due to the many leaks and patents that have appeared, and now there is another rumor that should be added to the previous rumor, where Apple's new patent aims to fix one of the biggest problems with foldable phones.

Apple's new patent was monitored by Patently Apple, and the patent was filed in April and published on October 27, 2020, and it details a protective layer for foldable screens designed to prevent cracks.

This hardcoat layer will help protect against crack and also fill in existing micro-cracks, which is important because as the patent indicates, glass fractures tend to appear from the presence of microcracks. So by filling it in the screen the screen is less likely to be broken.

Foldable phones are usually more vulnerable to damage than regular smartphones due to all the moving parts, not to mention the flexible screen, so adding some durability is important for the comfort of buyers.

As is always the case with patents, it should be noted that Apple's patent will not necessarily be used in a commercial product, it just means that Apple is exploring the idea. And we can't be sure that the company will even launch a foldable phone despite rumors that the company has a foldable prototype.

So it's possible that the iPhone 13 (or a copy of it) will be foldable, especially since competitors like Samsung and Huawei have had foldable phones for years, but foldable devices are still scarce, so Apple will probably not be in a hurry to join the fight. And it will likely be the iPhone 13, iPhone 14 or 15 foldable, assuming Apple sticks to the idea.

According to a report published by the Financial Times, the British newspaper, Apple has quietly increased its efforts to develop its search technology for iPhones. The report on Apple's search efforts comes as regulators scrutinize the billions of dollars in payments Google makes every year to ensure that its search engine is installed as a default search.