Approved Apple Patents Leak Wraparound Glass iPhone 8 Design

You have been seeing renders of that wraparound glass design for the iPhone 8. It’s not fake. In fact, it’s almost here. These Apple patents reveal that the iPhone 8 could really look like that and it’s so (dagnabit) exciting!

2017 is an exciting year for technology, even more so for Apple. In fact, Wired reminds us that January 2017 marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple iPhone. On January 9, 2007, the very first Apple iPhone was released. 10 years after that momentous moment, the iPhone managed to evolve and develop so far ahead its ancestors that this year’s iPhone 8 might just be smartphone of the future.

Okay, let’s back up before we get any cheesier than that. Okay yes, 2017 is the iPhone’s 10th year anniversary. Having said that much, we know that iPhone 8 is going to be a legendary piece of work. Not to mention the pressing competition it’s receiving from tight competition Samsung whose Samsung S line is giving Apple’s iPhone line a good run for its money.

So what should we expect from the iPhone 8? We’ve been seeing so many reports on what rumors and leaks surround the iPhone 8 before its release this year. But for the iPhone 8 to really make an entrance this 2017, it needs to make a good first impression. And to do so, it needs to be a beautiful, edgy, and fresh-looking smartphone that will wow Apple and non-Apple patrons alike.

Part of the rumors that we have been hearing about the upcoming iPhone 8 is the wraparound glass screen design, iTechPost reports. In fact, already a number of concept videos have emerged on YouTube, showcasing their own renders of the supposed wraparound glass display of the iPhone 8.

One of the more beautiful and jaw-dropping iPhone 8 renders we have seen on YouTube is this one by Mesut G., and it features the said wraparound glass design.

If you think that’s a bit too “into the future,” let us convince you how completely plausible that design will land into the iPhone 8.

September last year, Patently Apple came out with a report that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) published an Apple patent entitled “Electronic Device with Wraparound display.”

If you check the patent claim by Apple on the USPTO Patent Full Text and Image Database, it reads:

In the last few years the functionality of portable electronic devices has increased exponentially. Further improvements be realized by investigating ways to maximize the utility of unused portions of these devices. Form factor is an interesting area for development given that a large majority of portable electronic devices have settled into a standard form factor; namely a flat planar form factor with a display on one side and an opaque housing which contains the electrical components covering the rear surface of the device. Unfortunately, this popular form factor, leaves the sides and rear surfaces of the device unused or at best configured with buttons and switches with fixed location and functionality. Since many of these buttons and switches have fixed functionality they cannot always be incorporated into third party applications.

Therefore, there exists a need for an improved form factor for portable electronic devices which allows functionality to extend to more than one surface of the device.

According to the claim, this new patent is a continuation of several other “Electronic Device with Wraparound display” patent applications that dates back to 2011. All the applications have now been incorporated into this most recent patent application, which showcases an interesting number of images.

This patent has been filed April 7, 2015, by Apple, Inc. Cupertino and according to the detailed description, the said device will make use of AMOLED, a flexible display that has been gaining quite a buzz in the tech circles. It also explicitly states that “utilizing a flexible display can provide additional viewing area without increasing either the size or shape of the electronic device,” which means that they don’t necessarily need to build the iPhone 8 bigger to make it look and feel bigger.

This particular patent has been the inspiration for the wraparound glass renders for the iPhone 8 and it looks amazing. The rendered iPhone 8 design featuring the said wraparound glass display eliminates the bezel and the home button, making the home button and Touch ID incorporated virtually into the screen itself.

Since the patent has been filed in 2015, and we didn’t see this design break ground last 2016, there’s a huge possibility the 2017 iPhone 8 could be it. But then again, we know Apple won’t release a sub-par device so if the design and mechanics of a wraparound glass display still needs refining, there could be a chance we could see this display in 2018, 2019, or even 2020.

While unconfirmed, Inquisitr previously reported that many expect a September 2017 release date for the Apple iPhone 8.

[Featured Image by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]