The Apple Watch 7 could finally have a new look after six generations of consistent design, potentially boasting a flexible wraparound display.
This is happening by a new Apple patent, identified by MacRumors, which proposes an Apple Watch design with contour to fit the user’s wrist. This would not only be a radical break from the square aesthetics of current Apple Watch models, but would also offer a design that stands out in other smartwatches like the impressive Samsung Galaxy Watch 3.
Although we’ve seen several Apple Watch patents before, including one for an Apple Watch with a circular face, the previous concepts seem archaic compared to this new one. The patent registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) shows an integrated display that folds and moves with the smartwatch strap.
Like many of the best smartwatches, the Apple Watch allows you to exchange straps for a multitude of watch straps. To maintain that level of personalization, the wearable in the patent allows users to change things with digitally customizable bands.
But, as the screen isn’t just limited to the traditional watch face area, it opens the smartwatch to all sorts of new features, if this is the direction Apple chooses.
Another bonus of the flexible display is the fact that Apple can shrink the frame or eliminate it completely. According to the patent, the frame can be “below 4-5 mm or even less than 1 mm, less than 0.5 mm or eliminated”.
We have already seen flexible screens on TVs and smartphones, such as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 and the new portable device from Oppo. The technology exists, it’s just a matter of supporting it in a way that keeps the Apple Watch durable and within a competitive price range. Apple certainly won’t launch a flexible Apple Watch, making the same mistake that Samsung made in its first attempt at the Galaxy Fold.
It is also not the only flexible screen device that Apple conceptualized. According to reports, the technology giant is working on the supposed foldable iPhone Flip, which could take the form of a shell, similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip.
Just as you shouldn’t hold your breath for a foldable iPhone, a foldable Apple Watch is unlikely to arrive anytime soon. It will definitely not materialize with the Apple Watch 7, although it would give Apple’s flagship a big advantage over the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4.