Samsung Secures Apple’s Nod to Make Foldable iPhone OLED Modules

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It’s no secret that Samsung Display has been preparing to play a key role in Apple’s upcoming first foldable iPhone. The Korean firm has now secured the Cupertino giant’s approval to make foldable OLED modules. This comes after the display maker proved its production quality and manufacturing stability.
Samsung clears Apple’s quality bar for the foldable iPhone panel
According to a report from TheElec, Apple recently authorized Samsung Display to make foldable OLED modules. The process requires suppliers to demonstrate final assembly quality, product performance, and mass production stability. Samsung Display reportedly achieved a yield rate of more than 80%, which surpasses Apple’s minimum requirement of 70%.
The report says Samsung Display’s facilities in Vietnam are handling the back-end processing. In this stage, the company turns OLED panels into display modules for shipment to device makers. It also adds key components such as driver circuits and flexible circuit boards.
Samsung Display has inked a three-year exclusive supply deal with Apple for foldable OLED displays. Initial shipments of the displays this year could reach around 3 million units. The Korean firm currently operates about 50 production lines at its Vietnam facility, with capacity to support up to 80 lines. Hower to fulfill Apple’s initial order, it only needs to use part of its available lines.
The panel could feature Color Filter on Encapsulation (CoE) technology. This solution removes the polarizer and places a color filter on top of the encapsulation layer. Moreover, Samsung may use its latest M16 OLED material to offer better brightness, color accuracy, lifespan, and power efficiency.
Apple is expected to debut its first foldable iPhone, tentatively called the iPhone Fold or iPhone Ultra, in September 2026. Meanwhile, Samsung is also reportedly gearing up to unveil its next-generation foldables next month. The lineup may include a Galaxy Z Fold 8 model in addition to the regular Fold 8 Ultra. The former could allow the company to compete with Apple’s foldable, which reportedly adopts a passport-style design.
















