Apple has filed a patent for shock absorbers that would pop out of the phone when it detected it was falling.

Little bumpers would lighten the impact of a drop and hopefully save the screen from cracking, Tech Radar reports. Apple has admitted that their iPhones can easily crack when dropped, possibly inspiring the company to work on this unique way to absorb impact in the next iPhone. 

The patent for the shock absorbers shows four little pieces that would be deployed from the bezels on the side of the screen. As the phone hits the ground, the shock absorbers would be designed to take most of the impact of the drop, preventing the screen from contact.

These shock absorbers could be available on the iPhone 7. In order to make sure the technology would work, the phone would have to be designed to weigh more on the display side. This would ensure the device always fell with the screen facing down, allowing the shock absorbers to deploy.

After Apple suffered from reports of bent phones in the iPhone 6 series, the company decided to upgrade the 6s series with the stronger 7000 series aluminum, which will hopefully end bending of any future versions of the smartphone.

However, Apple has plenty of time to make improvements before the next iPhone comes out. The iPhone 6s was just released in September, and the iPhone 7 is likely not due out until September 2016.

The iPhone is already capable of recording 4K video, but the next version could come with a better display, possibly a Quad-HD display to provide sharp resolution. 

Meanwhile, wireless charging has been absent from every iPhone, while most Android smartphones have the capability to charge without wires. It is time for Apple to finally embrace this technology.

The camera in the iPhone 7 should improve over predecessors too. The iPhone 6s was upgraded to a 12 megapixel sensor, and it included some extra features like Live Photos. Apple will likely continue improving the device.

Yet, just because Apple has filed for the shock absorbers patent, does not mean it will appear on the next iPhone. Sometimes, such patents are never implemented in mainstream devices.