In August 2022 Patently Apple was first to post an IP report that focused on self-healing smartphone displays, especially for foldable smartphones. Then in September 2022, we posted a second IP report titled "Apple has won a Patent for a Future Folding Device with a Self-Healing Display that could hide Scratches & Dents."

Today, CNBC reports that "Smartphones with displays capable of repairing themselves could start appearing on the market by 2028, according to analyst firm CCS Insight." By then, Apple will have likely introduced either a folding iPhone or folding iPad with a self-healing display.  

In its roundup of top tech predictions for 2024 and beyond, CCS Insight said that it expects smartphone makers to begin producing phones with “self-healing” displays within five years. The way this could work is by incorporating a “nano coating” on the surface of the display that, if scratched, creates a new material that reacts when exposed to air and fills in the imperfection.

“This is not in the realms of science fiction, it can be done,” Wood told CNBC on a call earlier this week. “I think the biggest challenge with this is setting expectations correctly.”

Companies have been talking about smartphone display technology that can be self-repaired for several years now.

“There’s some new technologies that people are working on right now that looks as though this could become something that people have another go with. We’re not talking about smashed screens miraculously coming back. This is all just little cosmetic scratches,” Wood told CNBC.