Samsung gets in on Apple’s iPhone Fold (2026)
After over a decade in R&D, Apple’s folding iPhone seems to be inching toward an introduction next yearwith the company reportedly turning to old frenemy and fellow smartphone market leader, Samsung, to manufacture the folding screen it plans to use.
Fold for me
The purported deal follows months of speculation concerning Apple’s rumored plans to introduce a folding smartphone, and comes as major Apple supplier, Foxconn, breaks ground on a new factory to manufacture iPhone enclosures in India for the first time.
That new facility will be situated at the ESR Industrial Park in Oragadam, Tamil Nadu, and sits right beside the company’s in development display module assembly plant which is also about to enter use.
That’s not to say Foxconn will be making the casing for the new folding iPhones at that location, as previous speculation has claimed the degree of engineering excellence required in those products may require they are made elsewhere, but I’d still imagine it’s possible.
Samsung inside
The complex nature of Apple’s supply chain is rendered even more visible by its choice of Samsung displays for the folding 2026 iPhone – though it may need to resolve some tech challenges on making the crease in the display completely invisible.
That’s the new from analyst Guo Mingqi (via Chosun Biz), who believes manufacturing of Apple’s first foldable iPhone should begin in late Q3 or early Q4 next year. Samsung’s Fold still have a visible foldy line, and Apple wants that gone.
Manufacturing quantity? Apparently up to eight million units by the time the product ships – potentially making use of Liquid Metal in the manufacturing process.
Apple has been researching the technology since at least 2014. While Apple has been granted patents for folding devices, it remains to be seen when and if they will release a foldable iPhone, with some analysts predicting a launch in 2026.
The folding device is likely to be big on solid state parts – and equally big on AI, with Apple hoping to make the device an industry breathtaking poster child for an AI smartphone. Assuming Apple Intelligence can be bought up to speed.
What we think we know about iPhone Fold
What else do we know? Not much – and nothing is for certain until the product appears, but key expectation at present includes:
- A 7.8-in. display when unfolded and a 5.5-inch display at rest.
- 9mm thin when closed.
- Rear and front camera,
- eSIM,
- C2 5G modem
Final specifications will be set in stone later this year.
Apple will likely follow this up by developing and optimizing the manufacturing process in preparation for mass production next year.
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