Samsung confirms it is improving foldable display tech for Apple
Samsung working on a foldable display project for Apple is no longer a rumor or speculation. This week at SID Review Workshop in Seoul, Samsung confirmed in a roundabout way that it is working on developing a large foldable screen for Apple. And by the sounds of it, the panel is intended to be used in a laptop, i.e., MacBook. But before this Apple product can happen, Samsung has to iron out a few kinks in its foldable display technology to meet Apple’s standards.
Speaking at the SID Review event, a Samsung executive said it is “necessary” for Apple to commercialize a foldable product for the whole foldable market to succeed. It’s unclear if the host was referring to all foldable devices, including smartphones, or just foldable laptops. But given the overarching theme of the keynote, it’s probably the latter.
Likewise, Samsung didn’t outright say that Apple is working on a foldable MacBook but strongly implied that, at the very least, it is improving its foldable display technology to meet Apple’s standard and lure the company into the foldable device market.
The Korean tech giant said many laptop manufacturers are interested in creating a “full display” foldable product (via LaptopMag). All signs point to Apple being among these OEMs, and to Samsung Display counting among the Cupertino giant’s suppliers, along with LG Display.
Samsung is working on fixing some foldable display issues for Apple
The Korean tech giant’s Display arm is reportedly leveraging its expertise in foldable display manufacturing to elevate the technology to Apple’s standards. Reaching this goal requires improving foldable displays, particularly in two areas: crease visibility and panel durability.
The slide above, captured at SID Review Workshop, suggests that Samsung’s foldable displays seemingly meet expectations in terms of tensile stress (folding cracks), comprehensive stress (buckling when folding in), and slimness & flexibility (folding torque).
However, the slide also suggests that Samsung needs to work more on making the foldable display crease less visible and improving the panel’s durability to a level closer to standard glass panels. These two areas may represent Apple’s biggest concerns, but improvements are underway.
Previous reports citing industry analysts say Apple may announce its first foldable laptop powered by Samsung Display technologies in 2025 and release the device in 2026.
