Apple May Be Playing with Samsung Displays for Its Foldable Phone
Samsung Mobile will commercially release the $1,980 7.3-inch Samsung Galaxy Fold April 26. It will be a world’s first exclusive, but that’s not stopping the company’s display division from trying to get Apple to buy into its foldable screen technology.
Credit: Samsung
According to SamMobile, Samsung Display has reportedly sent foldable displays to two of its main rivals/clients, Apple and Google.
This is not a strange occurrence, though. Samsung Display is already a provider of OLED screens for the iPhone, and the company’s flexible OLED technology is probably the most advanced on the planet. It’s logical that the OLED panel manufacturer is trying to lure them into the world of foldables by giving them samples for use in prototyping of new flexible iPhones and Pixels.
MORE: Samsung Galaxy Fold: Specs, Price, Release Date and More
Credit: Robby Fester
Google’s Android team has been working with the Galaxy Fold for a while now but, if the report is true, this will mark the first time that the Pixel team could actually be playing with flexible components from Samsung. Google seems to have a special interest in making Android a morphing user experience that can easily adapt from a regular candy bar to a foldable tablet to any future form factor you can think about.
Meanwhile, Apple has been filing and getting awarded a lot of patents related to foldable phoneslately. With a stagnant phone market, it is logical that the Cupertino company is looking for new categories with growth potential and big margins — or risk getting left behind once again.
And while having Jony Ive and his design minions playing with Samsung’s foldable screens is not a confirmation that Apple will release a foldable phone, it certainly could be one of the steps to make it a reality.
Will we see foldable Pixels and iPhones soon? My bet is yes, undoubtly so.
