Report: Apple Working on iPhone With Touchless Gesture Controls and Curved Screens

Apple is reportedly planning to launch an iPhone with a curved screen and touchless gesture control in three years.

Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman reports that Apple is currently working on iPhones with “touchless gesture control” and curved screens. Apparently, the company is looking to distinguish themselves from the saturated smartphone market with these new features.

The touchless control is described as a hover-like gesture system and is controlled “by moving their finger close to the screen without actually tapping it.”

These touchless iPhones “would require gestures to be closer to the screen than with Project Soli” or Samsung’s Air Gestures. This is because the tech will be integrated in the display rather than using a motion sensor in the bezel.

The report also talks about an iPhone display that curves inward “gradually from top to bottom.” This is different from Samsung’s curved screen which bend on the sides of their phones.

To achieve this, Apple will reportedly be using OLED screens instead of LCD which they used in older iPhones. Currently, only the iPhone X uses OLED. The screen actually curves slightly at the bottom, almost imperceptible to the naked eye.

To facilitate with the demand for the OLED screen, Apple will be looking into getting LG as their supplier together with Samsung.

However, this project is not imminent and could take two to three years to complete. And according to people with knowledge of Apple’s plans, both features are still in the development stage. The company could still scrap these enhancements if they choose to.