Could silicon-beating chips mean a thinner iPhone 5?

Science strikes again with super thin new-fangled wonder material molybdenite.

Rumours on the interwebs suggest that the iPhone 5 was put on hold because current LTE chips are too big, but a new quirkily-named wonder material called molybdenite might hold the answer to Apple’s size-zero woes.

Boffins at the Laboratory of Nanoscale Electronics have managed to squeeze molybdenite into miraculous 3-atom thick layers, which could result in chips that are three times smaller than current silicon offerings. If the tech makes it to market, Apple could cram molybdenite chips into the iPhone 5 (or 6), cutting the phone down to the slimline form factor that Cupertino's been lusting after.

The flexible properties of the material also mean that future phones could be bendy enough to snap around your wrist or fold in to your pocket. Let’s hope Apple et al take note and start investing – we can’t wait for foldable 15in tablets to hit our pockets. 

See also: 

Samsung unveils flexible tablet concept video