Huh, looks like the foldable iPhone might have a crease-free display after all

You probably know why Apple has taken this long to try its hand at making a foldable iPhone: the company wanted to make a foldable phone with no crease across its display. Technological limitations kept such a thing from becoming a reality, and until now, it seemed like the upcoming foldable iPhone would look like any other foldable on the market.

But now, after what Samsung has just shown off at CES (Consumer Electronics Show), it looks like the foldable iPhone might feature a crease-free display after all.

Wait, what?

Samsung has, out of the blue, suddenly unveiled a foldable display at CES that has no crease at all. Forget about staring at it from the front, there’s no crease visible even when you view it from the sides.

According to a post (translated source) by the same insider, the metal plate used in this display was the missing piece of the puzzle. The plate helps more evenly distribute the pressure of being folded across a larger area of the display, thus preventing a crease from forming. If this new technology really is as good as it seems, this might even be a foldable display that doesn’t develop a crease despite repeated use.

Samsung had already made the display on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 a lot better than the Galaxy Z Fold 6 — both in terms of durability and crease visibility — but this takes the cake. And Samsung might have come up with this technology only because Apple asked.

Is this the foldable iPhone’s display?

On one hand, reports claim that this display is going to be used for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 this year, which will likely launch a month or two before the foldable iPhone. If that’s the case, then Samsung fans are eating good throughout 2026.

However, in my opinion, there is the very strong possibility that this display has been created for the foldable iPhone. Sure, Samsung might decide to use it for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 or even the Galaxy Z Wide Fold, but I have a nagging feeling that this display came about due to Apple’s insistence on such a screen for its phone.

I think that this is what the foldable iPhone will use, which means that we now basically know that Apple’s vision for a foldable phone with no crease is about to become a reality. Considering the fact that this prototype has under-display cameras as well makes me wonder if that is the direction that Apple is going.

A whole year before the all-glass iPhone 20 Pro, too.

Just a tad bit late

This is, of course, going to be a momentous occasion for Apple fans, but it’s just a bit too late. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still excited for this to finally happen, even if I might not exactly agree with the foldable iPhone’s design. But the phone is finally happening when rival offerings might be able to also feature its most striking aspect.

Samsung was always going to be the one supplying Apple with the displays for the foldable iPhone, but the company is now more invested in its own foldables than ever before. For the first time in generations, Samsung has actually increased sales expectations for this segment after the excellent performance of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Galaxy Z Flip 7.

So, while the foldable iPhone might come with a crease-free display, Samsung is very likely going to beat it to the punch with either the Galaxy Z Fold 8 or the Galaxy Z Wide Fold. But, let’s not kid ourselves, the foldable iPhone will probably sell like crazy despite the expected $2,400 price tag.