iPhone 8 concept design with 2 Displays

New iPhone 8 concept has 2 screens to aid in prolonging battery life

The iPhone battery has been a talking point ever since the iPhone first appeared, with everyone wanting their iPhone to last that little bit longer in between charges. Unfortunately, with the more apps that are introduced the greater the strain on the battery. So it seems only logical that if Apple insist on bringing out apps that are going to be used on more a less a 24 hour basis, that they also bring the handsets out with a battery that can cope with the demand.

So what improvements has Apple got in store for the iPhones of the future? Well according to designer Jermaine Smit the solution for Apple would be to simply have 2 screens, one front and one rear.

You may think this iPhone 8 concept is a little far-fetched, but it actually isn’t.

There is the Yota Phone – this device has an E ink display, or in other words a secondary display on the rear of handset which isn’t backlit and simply displays basic messages and notifications, similar to that which you see on devices such as a Kindle.This then allows you to browse things on the web and read books etc without draining the battery to the extreme that reading and using the main screen does. The result a battery that lasts on average up to 85 hours with 50 hours of reading time…if using the rear unlit back screen. Downside of this though, is the quality of the rear screen (which is poor) that is only compatible with a limited number of Yota apps and not the general Google and android ones.

What is good about the above video concept is that they have also introduced a projected keyboard, this would allow the keyboard to be greatly enhanced and would please a lot of people who rely on their iPhone for more than just texting. But, Is it something Apple would look at introducing? We are not sure…

Design and user friendliness of the iPhone has often been the selling point, We think that Apple may well look more at bringing in improved sleeker looking designs such as part transparent before they bring in a handset that is smaller with two screens to just save a few hours on the battery. Still we think the concept in the video of the new iPhone 8 is a very good one and probably the coolest so far.

So what will Apple do for the next-gen iPhone to increase the life of the battery, solar technology or possibly a rear display? If Apple do introduce a part transparent handset, the rear display will not be possible, so it will depend on what Apple see as the biggest gain, cosmetics or usage..

Apple filed Patent No. 8,730,179 for an “Integrated touch sensor and solar assembly,” back in May 2014.

The basic summary of this patent –

“Integrated touch sensor and solar panel stack-up configurations that may be used on portable devices, particularly handheld portable devices such as a media player or phone are disclosed. The solar cell stack-up configurations may include one or more touch sensor layers and one or more solar cell layers. By integrating both the touch sensors and the solar cell layers into the same stack-up, surface area on the portable device may be conserved. The solar panel may be mounted face down or otherwise obstructed by a touch sensor or other component. In this configuration, the device may include light channels that allow light into the device and direct the light around the component and to the solar panel. A parabolic reflector may be used to direct the light.”

In layman’s terms, –  This patent is for the design of a touch screen that also houses a solar panel which can then charge the battery – unfortunately though a device like this requires a thicker battery than we are currently seeing on the iPhones.

So with thinner devices being introduced, is a touch sensor with a solar assembly feasible? – Probably not. There are numerous solar power charging devices already on the market for the iPhones and iPods, but none of them are the dimensions of an iPhone 6 i.e. 6.9 mm in thickness. Then there is the main issue of a solar-powered device – the requirement of light and where does your iPhone remain most time when not in use – in your pocket….