It was really only going to be a matter of time until we got introduced to the world’s first smartphone that actually introduces a sensible case for bendable technology. We’ve been privy to prototypes and concept designs in the past that introduce a flexible aspect into the mix, but the ReFlex prototype, coming courtesy of a bunch of academics out of Queen’s University in Canada, is probably one of the first designs that we’ve seen that actually puts forward a believable case for why this type of technology should potentially be considered for smartphones of the future.

Remember the great iPhone prototype scandal of 2010 when an Apple employee left a prototype iPhone 4 at a bar and a writer from blog bought it, observed every nook and cranny of it and revealed it to the world as the iPhone 4? Of course you do. Well, another iPhone 4 prototype has popped up earlier today. Check out the details after the jump.

We’ve previously seen prototype iPhones and iPads from 2006 and earlier which show some of the many iterations the class-dominating smartphone and tablet went through before being finalized. Now, as the Apple vs. Samsung lawsuit continues to heat up even more, more and more classified design documents are making their way online for us to feast our eyes on.

Here at Redmond Pie, we love mulling over old concept and prototype designs, so you can imagine our glee at stumbling across a large batch of images depicting iPhone ideas which were subsequently thrown out by Apple. But the images, which were brought to our attention by TheVerge, have surfaced thanks to the ongoing Apple vs. Samsung court battle, with the United States proceedings set to resume on the 30th of July, and they range from interesting, to strange, to the downright disgusting.

With an iPhone 5 looming in the distance, one wouldn’t expect to see leaked prototypes of the previous version: the iPhone 4. Yet, an early prototype of the iPhone 4 is now being auctioned off on eBay.

The iPad is certainly one of the most well-known devices in the world. A possible prototype has been spotted at Display Taiwan that seems to be of a 3D-capable iPad.