A view has emerged that core display technology for Apple’s foldable iPhone under preparation was revealed first through Samsung Electronics’ latest foldable smartphone. Analysts say the newly introduced Samsung display is likely to be very similar to the panel expected to be used in Apple’s next-generation foldable iPhone.

According to IT outlet 9to5Mac on July 23 local time, the display on Samsung Electronics’ recently unveiled Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is known to apply technology that is quite similar to the panel expected to be installed in Apple’s foldable iPhone, or iPhone Ultra, which is anticipated to be launched in the future.

The key is improved screen creasing. Apple has pointed to creases and durability issues on folding screens as the biggest reason it has delayed releasing a foldable iPhone. It has not released a related product for about 6 years even after the first foldable Android smartphones appeared, and early cases such as the initial Galaxy Fold halting sales due to durability issues are also said to have influenced Apple’s cautious strategy.

Apple is known to have maintained a standard that technology must mature to a level where creases are barely visible when the screen is unfolded. Another view holds that Apple sent its own engineers into Samsung Display’s development process to raise display quality together.

The report’s central point is that the panel applied to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is the first case to meet that standard. It is difficult to conclude that the display will be applied as-is to a foldable iPhone in the future. Still, the industry views it as highly likely that the panel has specifications very similar to an Apple-bound display.

Samsung Electronics is known to have briefly shown a prototype of the panel in January this year and then immediately excluded it from general exhibition. Some have raised the possibility that its links to an Apple project may have had an impact.

Hands-on assessments are also positive. IT content creator Andrew Romero (앤드루 로메로) evaluated it as “extremely impressive” after using the new display. He said that in the previous generation, the screen crease gradually became more pronounced through repeated folding and unfolding, but in the latest panel that phenomenon has hardly appeared so far. This is interpreted as suggesting that crease-suppression performance may have improved not only at first use but also over longer-term use.

Attention is also focused on Apple’s foldable strategy. The industry is raising the possibility that Apple could unveil a foldable model called the “iPhone Ultra” in September alongside the iPhone 18 Pro. The expected screen sizes are 5.3 inches on the outside and 7.6 inches on the inside.

If Apple actually enters the market, its launch timing would be later than rivals, but it is likely to choose a strategy that emphasizes screen completeness and usability.

In this process, Samsung Electronics’ role is expected to grow further. As display technology that determines foldable phone competitiveness emerges as a key factor deciding the timing and completeness of Apple’s product launch, an analysis has emerged that Samsung’s next-generation foldable panel could become a benchmark for Apple’s foldable strategy.