Apple has entered the foldable phone market, but there is a surprise behind its first foldable iPhone. Samsung is reportedly producing the inner screen, with each panel potentially costing Apple around $250.
Samsung lands a major Apple deal
As reported by The Times of India, Samsung Display is reportedly making the main folding panel for Apple’s iPhone Duo. A Chinese Weibo leaker, Instant Digital, claims the two companies have signed an exclusive three-year supply deal. The deal is also said to cover later foldable iPhone models during that period. Apple has not confirmed the deal or the $250 figure in the public.
That price is getting attention because it is far above the cost of a normal iPhone display. Apple’s payment estimate is about $70 for regular OLED panels used in phones such as the iPhone 18 Pro Max. The reported folding panel would therefore cost more than three times as much. The reason is simple. A folding screen is much harder to make. It must bend again and again while still keeping good picture quality.
Why Apple is relying on Samsung
The choice of Samsung is also interesting because the two companies are major rivals in the phone market. Samsung has spent years working on foldable phones and displays. Now, its display unit could make a key part of Apple’s first device in the same market. Apple’s other display options may not be ready for the demands of its folding phone. LG Display is yet to make foldable phone panels, while BOE’s foldable screens have faced reported concerns over quality and reliability from Apple.
Samsung’s reported panel uses its M16 OLED material set. The screen is also said to use Ultra Thin Glass and several layers built to handle repeated folding. These features help explain why the part is so costly compared with a normal phone screen. The $250 payment would give the company a direct cut from every iPhone Duo sold. That makes Samsung’s reported deal a notable one, especially as the two firms compete for foldable phone buyers.
A costly screen for a new market
The reported price also shows how expensive Apple’s move into foldables may be. The $250 inner panel alone would be around one-eighth of the phone’s reported $1,999 starting price. That figure does not include the outer screen, assembly or testing costs. Apple could sell about 7.3 million iPhone Duo units in its first year. At $250 per panel, that could mean close to $1.8 billion in display sales for Samsung Display. These sales figures are forecasts, so the final number may be different.
For Apple, the deal is a sign of how much it depends on Samsung for foldable screen technology at the start of this new chapter. For Samsung, it could be a very useful business win. The bigger question is what happens after the reported three-year deal. Apple may look for more suppliers later. Until then, Samsung could have a strong position in one of the most important parts of Apple’s foldable iPhone.
Author’s Opinion
The $250 figure makes the deal more interesting than it first looks. Apple may be entering Samsung’s strongest market, but it is also relying on Samsung to build a key part. That is an unusual situation, and it will be worth watching.
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