Normally, concept designs for upcoming iPhones don't look all that different to the current model. That's because Apple is known for its iterative updates, with minor tweaks here and there. But every now and again we see something truly wild – and that's definitely the case here.
A concept artist has imagined an iPhone 14 with a sliding screen design – yes, like that mobile phone you owned in 2006. But even though the sliding phone is a decidedly old concept, when given the iPhone treatment, it looks surprisingly cool. (Check out the best Apple deals if you don't fancy waiting to find out what's coming next year.)
Created by established Apple concept artist ConceptsiPhone, the design features a dual-screened iPhone, in which the screen slides along to reveal another underneath. Unlike folding phones such the Microsoft Surface Duo, this isn't based on a hinge, and the secondary screen is thus much smaller than the main one.
The most obvious benefit here is regarding the keyboard. A second screen would provide enough real estate to accommodate the whole thing, without taking up any of the main display. Not that we're planning to write a novel on our iPhone, but the concept could be a game-changer for anyone who does a lot of typing on their device.
2006 called, it wants its mobile phone concept back (Image credit: ConceptsiPhone)
The concept also shows how the second screen could be used for to access apps such as Settings, without interrupting whatever's going on in the foreground. Indeed, it seems a smaller screen would be best suited to background tasks, given that it's a fraction of the size.
Elsewhere, as rumoured the notch is gone – replaced instead by a punch-hole camera under the display. As for the thickness of the device, the video keeps things mysterious – but we have a feeling a second display, you know, under the main display, is going to add an extra millimetre or ten.
The concept does look pretty useful for typing (Image credit: ConceptsiPhone)
Ultimately, this is very unlikely to happen. The Apple rumour mill is already pretty convinced that the iPhone 14 won't look radically different to the 13 line up, and there's nothing to suggest Apple is looking at sliding display tech. Still, there's no denying that it looks pretty damn smooth in this concept – so we'll let it slide (sorry).
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Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of design, branding and lifestyle tech, and has covered several industry events including Milan Design Week, OFFF Barcelona and Adobe Max in Los Angeles.
