Samsung has produced a new display technology for foldable phones.
It could end up giving Apple a big boost later this year.
With CES 2026 is firmly in the rear-view mirror, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the talk of technological innovation would have dwindled slightly. That doesn't seem to be the case, though, with even more new tech to talk about each day.
Now, it's the turn of Samsung, with a development which might actually end up helping out Apple. Showcased at the Las Vegas tech event was a new seamless folding display from the brand.
The technology could feasibly make its way into the successor to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, which we'd expect around the summer of this year. But it would also make sense for another major foldable phone slated to arrive this year – the iPhone Fold.
For years, one rumoured criteria of that device was an interior screen which showed no visible crease. For Apple, it seems to be a marker of quality, and so we'd expect to see it on its first device in the field.
We also know that Samsung will be supplying the panel for that device, owing to previous reports. The timing seems impeccable – too impeccable for it to be a coincidence.
The design makes use of a laser-drilled metal display plate, which is said to spread the stress generated in the folding action across the entire display. It's certainly a clever-sounding design, and should get rid of the internal crease almost entirely.
As someone who has used a foldable phone daily for the last few years, though, I can't help but feel it's a little redundant. The crease in a foldable phone display is a real red herring, often used as a way to bash folding handsets.
For anyone actually using the device, though, it makes no difference. You look head-on at the display, meaning you won't see it – it's only ever seen by the people around you looking over your shoulder.
I can certainly see it making more of a difference on flip phones where you're more likely to touch the centre of the display, but I'm really hoping this development doesn't limit other improvements made to this generation of devices.
