Notwithstanding the addition of the Action button and Dynamic Island, Apple’s top-end iPhones have remained nigh on identical to one another since the launch of the iPhone X in 2017, but a new patent suggests the company’s tried-and-tested iPhone design could eventually change in one big way.
As spotted by AppleInsider, Apple has been granted a patent for technology that could bring a side-mounted display – yes, a side-mounted display – to future iPhones. Judging by the illustrations attached to the patent in question, this display would offer similar functionality to the unfairly maligned MacBook Touch Bar, which last featured on the MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020).
