Apple thinking of making iPhone with wrap-around display

India Today

24-04-2025

Apple files numerous patents every year, many of which never make it to final products. However, these patents often give us insight into the company's thinking around futuristic technologies. One such idea that Apple has been working on for years is a device with a wrap-around display. The company has filed many patents related to this technology, and recently, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted yet another one. The latest granted patent, titled "Electronic device with wrap-around display," reveals how Apple remains keen about exploring the idea of a more flexible display.advertisementThe newly granted patent (US 12,282,361) was originally filed in 2019, as per insights by Patently Apple. The recent patent describes a device featuring a flexible, touch-sensitive display that extends around the front, sides, and potentially even the back of the device. Currently, smartphones—including iPhones—utilise only the front surface as the display, leaving the sides and back for the frame. Apple's idea of a wrap-around display is to maximise screen space without increasing the physical footprint of the device.
Photo credits: Patently Apple
The technology of a flexible display also opens up new possibilities for how such a display could be useful in a device like the iPhone. For instance, users could see glanceable notifications on the side bezels, benefit from touch-sensitive controls that run along the edges, or even view rear-facing content like a camera viewfinder or customisable widgets. advertisement
Interestingly, this patent also hints at a foldable-like mechanism, where portions of the display could shift or retract, potentially allowing for adjustable screen areas. This concept also seems to be aligned with Apple's ongoing exploration of foldable devices.Notably, this is the tenth time Apple has received approval for a wrap-around display concept. The current patent builds upon earlier versions first seen in 2011 and subsequently updated in 2013, 2020, and now in 2025. This repetition is not unusual for Apple, as the company frequently submits revised versions of patents to fine-tune ideas or include new use cases. The fact that the patent has again received approval suggests the Cupertino-based giant is actively addressing the technical and practical challenges of the concept and is seriously looking for bringing this tech on table in future.Meanwhile, another patent granted to Apple this week reveals radar-based object detection for iPhones and iPads. This technology as explained in the patent could enhance how these devices interact with their surroundings. Traditional sensors like LiDAR and infrared often struggle to detect certain surfaces—such as transparent glass or uniformly coloured walls. Apple's radar-based solution, as described in the patent, aims to overcome this limitation by extracting detailed surface features from radar signals, including motion characteristics, radar cross-sections, and Doppler shifts.
Photo: Patently Apple
This will allow the devices to initiate accurate detection, tracking, and classification of objects—particularly in environments where visual sensors fall short. It could alert users to nearby obstacles or people, even in complex or low-visibility settings. Additionally, Apple also hints at potential health and fitness applications, where radar data could be used to track stride length, steps, or calorie burn with higher precision—especially beneficial for wearables and portable devices.