Industry watchers expect Apple to join the foldable phone market in 2026. The US tech giant will depend on Samsung to propel the first foldable iPhone beyond a mere idea and turn it into a commercial product.
Samsung Display will be the main and only supplier of foldable screens for Apple, at least initially. However, Apple's ambitions have grown. The first batch of foldable screens Apple will reportedly obtain from Samsung will be larger than predicted.
Citing supply chain sources, reports from Korea claim that target display shipments have increased from the initial 13-15 million units to around 20 million (via @Jukan05). In other words, Apple intends to enter the foldable phone market with a stock of around 20 million foldable iPhones.
That's only the initial order. Of course, if things go well for Apple, the company will order more foldable displays to meet demand for foldable iPhones. And Samsung Display won't have any complaints, even if the mobile division might think differently.
A new foldable phone chapter may begin this year
As stated before, Samsung Display is the sole supplier for foldable iPhone screens, which puts the company in a very favorable position.
One of Samsung Display's rivals from China, BOE, tried desperately to get a piece of the Apple pie. In the end, it couldn't. BOE was reportedly unable to meet Apple's demands in both production volume and technical viability.
As for Samsung's manufacturing plans for Apple, full-scale production of foldable iPhone screens will reportedly begin as early as May.
The first foldable iPhone may have a wider-than-usual aspect ratio — wider than the regular Galaxy Z Fold. It sounds quite Apple-like to do things against the grain.
However, Samsung may have already planned ahead. Samsung's mobile division is reportedly working on an additional foldable phone model for a 2026 release. It's tentatively named Galaxy Wide Fold, and as you may have guessed, it supposedly has a wide aspect ratio — wider than the Fold.
If these reports come to pass, Apple and Samsung will finally go face-to-face in the foldable phone market. And the battle may take place in a new, wide arena.
Then again, some reports also say that Apple may release a Flip-style iPhone too. Time will tell.
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