[DigitalToday intern reporter Seung-a Yoo] Apple has outlined its position on a view that it may be using Samsung Display as is for the display of its foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo.

On Oct. 15 local time, IT outlet NineToFiveMac reported Apple executives, in a recently released interview, drew a distinction between Samsung’s role as a parts supplier and Apple’s product development and design process.

Samsung has been cited as a key supplier of the iPhone Duo’s foldable display. Some have questioned whether Apple is doing no more than receiving and using Samsung’s display.

The interview was conducted after the iPhone Duo’s unveiling last month and was released on YouTube on Oct. 14. It featured host and YouTuber Michael Fisher (마이클 피셔), Apple hardware engineering vice president Rich Dinh (리치 딘) and JP Guillou (JP 기유), senior director in charge of iPhone display technology.

Fisher asked whether, unlike receiving display-related components for the iPhone Duo from Samsung, Apple develops the hinge in-house. He separated display supply and hinge design to examine Apple’s role in product development.

Apple executives did not deny Samsung’s role as a supplier. They said it is hard to view the iPhone Duo’s display simply as a component sourced externally. Dinh and Guillou were reported to have stressed that Apple’s design and development process is also important for the display used in the final product. It is difficult, based on what has been made public, to confirm what specific technical contributions Apple made to display development.

The interview also covered the iPhone Duo’s durability, why the camera was placed under the folding screen and Apple’s approach to product design.

The interview shows it is difficult to judge the competitiveness of a foldable iPhone based only on its display supplier. Separate from Samsung’s foldable display supply capabilities, a key focus is how Apple integrated it into the overall design and development process of the product.