According to a recently-discovered patent, it seems that Apple has explored the idea of a foldable phone and has even come up with a potential solution that could address the issue of creasing. This comes in the form of a pair of movable flaps that have been designed to help prevent creasing.
How this works is that these flaps will help to ensure that there is enough separation between the first and second portions of the display. When the user unfolds their device, the flaps will move in to cover the gap, and then retract once the device has been closed back up. Apple believes that with this mechanism, it could in theory prevent creasing of the display.
That being said, it is only a patent and since last we checked, Apple has no foldable smartphone at the moment, there’s no telling if Apple ever plans on making it a reality. The company has explored the concept in a series of patents, but whether or not they actually go through with it is a different story.