Apple Is Reportedly Interested In Samsung’s Folding Display Tech

According to a new report first seen on MacRumors, Apple may be interested in Samsung’s folding display tech. Samsung first made the technology available to several companies, including Apple, in an effort to lure in buyers last year. Apparently Apple is so interested in the foldable displays, they are said to have recently placed a “large order” of them from Samsung.

Samsung and Apple have had a very tumultuous relationship over the last few years. Starting off as partners, then bitter rivals, and back to strong business partners. Samsung currently supplies Apple with the OLED displays for their iPhones, so it’d make sense for them to continue to work together. The question now though, is would Apple actually release a foldable version of the iPhone? Or would they be using the tech for a completely different project altogether?

Apple has been rumored to be working on a foldable display for a few years now. They’ve filed for several patents all dealing with some form of a folding display on a device. The wild thing here is that their filings have not been limited to just the iPhone. We could very well see Apple roll out a foldable, dual-screen iPad, or even a funky new design on the Apple watch. As recently as February, Apple was awarded a patent for a foldable device that features a dynamic hinge design. Unlike the current foldable devices, this one had a specialized mechanism that would also prevent it from having a crease in the middle of the display.

It will be interesting at the least to see how Apple implements this technology into its portfolio. While they are actively working on building a foldable device of some sort, I definitely wouldn’t expect to see it soon. They’ve become notorious for dragging their feet when it comes to implementing major changes on their devices, and I would expect this scenario to play out no differently than it has in the past.