Apple joins the foldable smartphone race with new patent

If the tech for the iPhone X's facial recognition is still a bit too advanced for you to grasp, we've got bad news: Apple's already brainstorming The Next Big Thing.

On Monday Fast Company reported that Apple received a patent for a foldable smartphone. The patent, which was filed for on Sept. 22, 2016, outlines an electronic device with "a flexible display" and the capacity to fold.

Though the concept might sound pretty advanced, it's certainly not the first time it's been discussed.

In September — just hours before Apple's iPhone 8 launch event — Samsung announced plans to drop a foldable smartphone in 2018. The proposed sketches looked pretty wild, but the feat is so daring that production plans have already been pushed back to 2019. ZTE also announced foldable smartphones in October, though it's presenting a far less impressive dual-screen device.

According to Apple's patent, the device's support layer "may be formed from shape memory alloy or amorphous metal and may have openings to facilitate bending." And while that soundscool, as Mashable Senior Tech Correspondent Ray Wong notes, there are serious factors like battery sustainability and overall aesthetic to take into consideration when creating a foldable device.

Earlier reports indicated that Apple's eventual bendable screen would be OLED and the company has previously obtained a patent for a screen that would retract into itself like a scroll, or Fruit Roll-Up. However, the latest patent describes a display that would bend along an axis, so who knowswhat could happen.

As for whether a future full of foldable phones is realistic? Only time will tell.

Mashable reached out to Apple for comment.