Apple orders 9x fewer display panels for the foldable iPhone Ultra than for the iPhone 18 Pro

How confident is Apple in its first-ever foldable iPhone, the alleged iPhone Ultra? Apple is betting heavily on the novel phone, but it surely won't sell as many units as the non-folding, "traditional" flagships like the iPhone 18 Pro Max and 18 Pro.

It's not just the fact that people haven't embraced the foldable form factor – it's just that there won't be as many foldable iPhones available as non-folding handsets.

In fact, there could be only 10 million foldable iPhones made, while iPhone 18 Pro models (both the standard-sized Pro and the larger Pro Max) could amount to 90 million units.

2026 – another big year for Apple

Apple is set to unveil two of the most anticipated phones for 2026 in September – the iPhone 18 Pro duo and its first-ever foldable iPhone.

Everybody's expecting miracles out of those. With the foldable, it's understandable why: Apple is years late to the field where Samsung, Oppo and Motorola dominate. While the iPhone 18 series could turn out to be a minimal upgrade over the wonderful iPhone 17 series, it's interesting to see if Cupertino would be able to repeat their market achievement.

Personally, I think the iPhone 18 would easily make it to the best iPhones list once it materializes, even though $50–$300 price hikes are now in the cards.

Sure, 2027 is crucial for Apple, as the iPhone turns 20 years old and the anniversary iPhone 20 should be special, but 2026 is important nevertheless, as Apple's foldable is a big step in the right direction.

How many display panels?

As we've reported before, two companies will manufacture OLED panels for the upcoming phones and tablets by Apple:

• Samsung Display
• LG Display

A new report, however, breaks down the expected numbers.

Samsung Display is rumored to be the exclusive OLED supplier for the following products:

• iPad mini – 2 million display panels
• Foldable iPhone (a.k.a. iPhone Ultra) – 10 million display panels
• MacBook Pro – unspecified number of panels.

LG Display, on the other hand, could be responsible for the OLED displays on the following gadgets:

• Apple Watch 12 series – 34 million

Finally, both Samsung Display and LG Display will supply Apple with OLED panels (a total of 90 million) for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.

Where is BOE?

Per earlier reports, Apple won't be relying on BOE (a Chinese giant in the display industry) for its products, but an Apple rival might.

According to the rumors, Apple has decided not to bring tandem OLED technology to its next-generation flagship, instead prioritizing improvements to thermal management.

Tandem OLED uses two light-emitting layers instead of one, offering higher brightness, improved energy efficiency, and a longer lifespan because each layer operates under less stress. Apple already uses the technology in the M4 iPad Pro, but the latest report claims the company won't introduce it on iPhones until around 2028. Instead, the next Apple device expected to adopt tandem OLED is the M6 MacBook Pro.

That could leave the door open for rivals to get there first. Oppo is rumored to be preparing the Find X10 Ultra with a tandem OLED display, potentially giving it an edge in display quality before Apple makes the switch.

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