Apple's Foldable iPhone on Track to Launch in 2026, Samsung Display to Be Sole Supplier: Report

Apple's foldable iPhone will launch in the second half of 2026, according to a report. The first folding iPhone from the Cupertino company will sport OLED panels developed by Samsung Display, after it reportedly managed to reduce the size of the foldable display crease. There's no word on how many units Apple is expected to produce, but the foldable iPhone is expected to have a high price tag. It will compete with foldables from Oppo, Samsung, OnePlus, Huawei, Vivo, and Honor.

Samsung to Begin Supply of Foldable iPhone's OLED Panels by 2025-End

According to a BusinessKorea report, Apple will exclusively use OLED panels produced by Samsung Display for the first foldable iPhone. The South Korean tech conglomerate has managed to minimise the crease on the inner display, which is said to be the reason Apple hasn't picked rivals LG Display and BOE (Jingdongfang) to produce the OLED panels.

The first foldable iPhone will reportedly sport a 5.5-inch cover display, and a 7.8-inch inner screen. Samsung will start producing these OLED screens by the end of 2025 or early 2026, and Apple is expected to launch the foldable handset later next year.

Apple could produce up to 15 million units of the foldable iPhone, according to the publication, which is about 6 million units higher than previously anticipated. The first foldable from Apple will be up against foldables from Samsung in the US and other manufacturers like Oppo, OnePlus, Huawei, Vivo, and Honor.

A recent report suggests that Apple will equip its foldable iPhone with an "almost" 4:3 aspect ratio from its standard iPad model, the iPad Air, and the iPad Pro. This could help the company ensure software compatibility on the first generation foldable.

The first foldable iPhone is expected to be even more expensive than the company's most expensive iPhone 16 Pro Max model. According to a Barclay's analyst, Apple could set the price of the foldable iPhone at $2,300 (roughly Rs. 1,97,000) in the US. These line up with previous claims that the handset would be priced between $2,000 (roughly Rs. 1,71,400) and $2,500 (roughly Rs. 2,14,200).