Samsung will be the folding screen supplier for Apple

Last week, Haitong International Securities analyst Jeff Pu made a prediction: Apple will begin mass production of devices with 20.3-inch foldable screens by the end of next year. The device will be a MacBook-iPad hybrid and will be followed by mass production of foldable iPhones in 2026.

Earlier this year, a report said that "Apple" is aiming to develop a MacBook with a foldable screen instead of a foldable iPhone because the screen on a folded iPhone would be too fragile.

Samsung will be the folding screen supplier for the foldable iPhone.

However, according to a report from DigiTimes (via Wccftech), Apple and Samsung have signed a new agreement: Samsung will supply foldable screens to Apple. It's unclear whether the deal includes displays for the said hybrid device.

Most experts believe that the penetration rate of folding screen phones will increase sharply after the foldable iPhone is launched.

TrendForce said that last year, foldable phones accounted for 1.6% of global smartphone sales and is expected to exceed 5% by 2027 (not including foldable iPhones). At this stage, Apple is the only major phone manufacturer that has not yet shipped a folding screen product.

Apple is developing a foldable MacBook.

Jeff Pu's report last week said that Apple is testing two screen sizes inside the foldable iPhone: 7.9 inches and 8.3 inches.

Currently, the internal screen of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is 7.6 inches in size. According to this analyst's notes, Apple is developing an iPhone with a book-style folding screen - opening and closing around a vertical axis, quite similar to Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold.

This analyst also said that Apple has "accelerated" the development of folding screen devices based on "increasing the visibility" of folding screen components. Jeff Pu added that the Mac Book-iPad hybrid with foldable screen will be part of the "ultra-premium market". Therefore, they will cost quite a bit.

Marvin Fry

Update 13 May 2024