Apple Inc. has been widely expected to release its flagship smartphone, the iPhone 7 this year, and the upcoming device is now rumored to feature a flexible display and battery, according to a patent the company filed earlier in 2015. Apple's patent filing clearly shows that the company is working to bring a bendable screen with touch-sensitive layers and display covers to a future device.

Earlier this month, an official from Samsung Display had announced that a truly foldable smartphone could be out in the market next year. A recent report coming out of South Korea had claimed that at least one variant of the upcoming Galaxy S7 would have a flexible display and Samsung has placed orders for 8 million flexible display panels a month.

Now Apple is rumored to bring out the iPhone 7 with a flexible display screen and battery, as the company's patent filing reveals that the device could have a flexible display, flexible internal components and a flexible housing.

"A flexible electronic device may include a flexible display, a flexible housing and one or more flexible internal components configured to allow the flexible electronic device to be deformed," states the patent filing.

If the technology is incorporated in the iPhone 7, then it would allow the device to bend over without being damaged. Apart from improving its durability, the technology could also enable new features in the iPhone 7, such as allowing users to initiate commands by bending their phone.

However, this latest report contradicts an earlier rumor, which claimed that the iPhone 7 would have a rigid body made of the Series 7000 aluminum alloy used in Apple Watch, making the next iPhone 60% tougher than its predecessor, the iPhone 6.

The idea of a flexible iPhone 7 that can bend in the pocket is indeed fascinating, but flexible iOS screens may be a long way from becoming reality, given their technological limitations and market feasibility.