Once again, a new rumor claims that Apple’s first foldable iPhone will use the crease-free folding screen created by Samsung display. In fact, Apple had no input in the panel design, it is all Samsung on it – and it is notable how it rarely happens, because Apple usually prefers to customize every part used in its equipment.
Not this time, however, and the reason for the alleged foldable iPhone’s “stable mass production” is planned to come in the second half of next year. A custom display solution may not have achieved the same yield, which the Samsung display can introduce with its own design.
Apple’s decision to go all-in with the Samsung display’s crease-free solution will benefit subsequent suppliers, including a major provider of the internal hinges, Fine M-TEC, a famous source of apple-related information from the supply chain as a major beneficiary according to Ming-Chi Kuo. According to him, Fine M-TEC will have 80% of the supply of this part (or more).
The internal hinge is an important part of a crease-free folding screen, as it helps the metal plate display to distribute and control stress, which prevents the display content from exceeding its elastic range. And this way the chances of decreasing are reduced, Kuo explains. For all this, the metal plate must be highly integrated with a display design, and it is the same as the Samsung display and the Fine M-TEC.
For Apple’s folding iPhone, laser drilling will be used to create microstructure that increases better guide stress distribution and crease resistance. Fine M-TEC should start shipping display metal plates for foldable iPhones in the first quarter of next year, with the price of the unit clearly in the $ 30-35 range.
The shipment is reportedly expected to reach 13–15 million units in 2026, but they are not an estimated sales numbers for the iPhone fold – they will be low, such plates need to be produced compared to the actual iPhone folds, which are sent due to yield loss and repair stock requirements.
