Samsung is among the largest display suppliers. They’re the only display manufacturers that can handle Apple’s scale of requests, and they annually supply them with displays at very magnitudes. Despite the Quality Control issues in the past, they remain Apple’s largest display supplier.
Samsung has made remarkable strides in the display industry in the past. Their smartphone division was the world’s first to launch a usable foldable smartphone for consumer use. At MWC 2023 and 2024, Samsung stole the show.
The company’s display innovation is remarkable since they put up multiple triple-folding smartphones and even flexible displays at the show. These are prototypes at the moment, and they exist as proof of concept. However, they will soon materialize into consumer products.
It’s no surprise that Apple will consider Samsung their leading display supplier when launching their foldable iPhone—currently, BOE, LG, and Samsung supply OLED panels for iPhones. Samsung remains the largest supplier. As per a DigiTimes Asia leak, Apple plans to use Samsung display panels for the upcoming foldable iPhone.
The sources include information from the internal supply chain, and apparently, Apple signed a contract. This is for the development of foldable devices. The report doesn’t state whether it’s a contract for a foldable or Flip-style phone.
As per earlier reports, Apple plans to venture into the foldable market with a foldable tablet and not a smartphone. Depending on the success and reception of the foldable tablet, they’ll try a phone next.
Reports of when Apple will launch the foldable product are currently very conflicting. Some say it’ll happen as early as 2025. However, others report that the device could take till 2026 to enter mass production. If it enters mass production in 2026, consumers will probably get a chance to purchase it in 2027 or late 2026.
Once Apple enters the foldable market, Samsung’s smartphone division will get plenty of mainstream competition in the foldable market. Chinese foldable phones typically stay in China. As a result, Samsung is the current default choice for foldable phones. This could change upon Apple’s entry into this market.
