Apple has agreed to source foldable OLED panels exclusively from Samsung for the next three years, reports The Elec.
Apple will not use foldable panels from other display suppliers as part of the agreement, according to the Korea-based outlet. The company is said to have accepted the terms given the lack of viable alternative suppliers.
This year, Apple is expected to release a book-style iPhone that unfolds to reveal an inner display similar in size to an iPad mini. Samsung has been a display pioneer in the foldable market, and it will reportedly supply Apple with foldable OLED panels equipped with CoE (Color filter on Encapsulation) technology, which removes the polarizer and forms a color filter layer on top of the encapsulation layer. Polarizers can cause cracking at bending points, making CoE a requirement for foldable devices.
The screen will use the same M14 OLED materials as the iPhone 17 Pro Max instead of switching to something new. The choice is said to be based on reliability and lower costs – Apple is sticking with a design that's already been tested and works well.
According to Bloomberg, Apple's foldable iPhone development is progressing smoothly and the device is set to launch during the standard September iPhone timeframe. That contradicts a recent Nikkei report that suggested iPhone Fold engineering delays could push the device's launch into 2027.
An industry source cited by The Elec said that regardless of potential delays in final device assembly, Samsung Display's production of foldable OLED panels for Apple will begin in the second quarter of this year as originally planned, with an initial shipment of 3 million units.
Away from iPhones, Apple already uses OLED displays in the iPad Pro and Apple Watch. There are apparently no plans to add OLED to the low-cost iPad, but the iPad mini could get one in 2026. Meanwhile, the MacBook Pro is expected to be updated with an OLED display when it is redesigned later this year, and it will also include touchscreen functionality. Apple will also reportedly update the MacBook Air with an OLED display in 2028.
