Apple’s first foldable phone, the iPhone Fold, is set to be launched in the second half of 2026. The iPhone Fold will have an industry-leading unbreakable folding screen, which will be supplied by Samsung Display, predicted TF Securities International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. It’s a rare case of Apple using something other than its own technology for the displays to ensure stable mass production.
The iPhone Fold’s flagship display will be created using revolutionary technology developed by Samsung Display. While conventional folding displays have a visible crease on the panel, Samsung’s optimized technology makes apparent creasing and folding marks via laser cutting a thing of the past. This tech has already seen the light in Samsung’s recent Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 device, and those are a benchmark for foldable devices to beat.
On top of Samsung Display’s foldable screen, Apple is working with Fine M-Tec, which is a South Korean company that’s known for internal hinges. Fine M-Tec already provides internal hinges for Samsung’s foldable phones and will supply some 80 percent of the hinges used in the iPhone Fold. These internal hinges with metallic plates and micro-geometry can enhance the reliability and make the fold flexible.
Their compositions should go into production in early 2026 with Fine M-Tec, who are increasing their production facility in Vietnam to cater for this demand. And while the company will likely produce 13 to 15 million hinges next year, those include ones set aside for service centers and repairs, not just new device shipments.
This partnership reflects Apple’s pragmatic attitude to its forthcoming first foldable phone. While Apple usually likes to design its components in-house, it made an exception in this case in that it decided to leverage Samsung Display’s infallible crease-free technology and Fine M-Tec’s reliable hinges to ensure its foldable displays could be folded and folded again without compromise for quality.
Past reports have also suggested that Apple has settled on only Samsung Display for the iPhone Fold’s OLED panels. The higher the number of folds, more and more wrinkles and other issues are said to develop on this type of foldable display, and clear-cut suppliers like BOE and LG are said to be are unable to produce crease-less foldable displays that are accepted in Apple’s quality test, according to the report. Samsung Display has therefore become the exclusive provider of these essential foldable parts.
The iPhone Fold isn’t expected until 2026, but Apple and tech nerds alike are excited to see what this partnership between Samsung Display and Fine M-Tec will do to change the game of foldable smartphone design and performance.
