Apple iPhone Fold Reportedly Features Crease-Free Screen

For years, the elusive Apple iPhone Fold has been the focus of numerous rumors, but as its rivals introduced their own models, it disappeared from view. It’s finally starting to look like things are coming together for Apple in the form of a display that folds without leaving a nasty crease in the middle, something that has long been a major hurdle.

At CES 2026, Samsung Display unveiled an interesting prototype that sparked a lot of interest: a display that is practically crease-free from any angle, including immediately to the side, where you couldn’t even see the fold. Observers were blown away by the seamless appearance of the text and images crossing the fold, with no visible or tactile breaks. They accomplished this by utilizing a metal plate that had been precision perforated with a laser to distribute the tension of the bend over a larger area rather of allowing it to build up in one continuous line. Samsung was keen to designate this as R&D only and did not give any form of indication of when this technology would really make its way into a product, but sources are murmuring that it is intended for an upcoming device.

Ming Chi Kuo, an analyst with a strong track record of getting things right, has drawn a direct relationship between this technology and Apple. He stated in July 2025 that not only would Samsung and Apple’s next foldable phones use the same laser drilled metal plate tech from Fine M-Tec, but that Apple had shifted from pursuing a full custom crease-free display to simply adopting Samsung’s approach by the middle of 2025, when they finally found something that met their requirements. Previously, they were working on some hybrid OLED panels that would employ a combination of glass and plastic layers, but this new approach appears to be giving the type of smooth outcome they were looking for.

When opened, it has a 7.76 to 7.8 inch inner display similar in size to a mini iPad, with a 2,713 by 1,920 pixel resolution and an aspect ratio that works well for tablet use; when folded, it has a 5.49 inch external screen that is slightly smaller than a standard iPhone but still full-featured enough for daily tasks. Thickness appears to be around 5.64mm when open and little more than 11mm when closed, with some speculating that the actual folded profile might be between 9 and 9.5mm. The hinge in this device is made of Liquidmetal, which is far stronger and less prone to deformation than titanium, making it feel both lightweight and durable at the same time.

The camera configuration follows Apple’s tried-and-true format, with a main and wide-angle sensor on the back, most likely a 48MP model, all neatly placed in a sleek design on one side to save space. You also get an under-screen camera to take selfies on the inner screen, so there are no ugly notches or cutouts to ruin the design, while the external screen receives a regular punch hole camera. There is no trace of the dynamic island on the foldable panel, though.

As you’d expect, the price point is looking pretty steep, with Kuo estimating it to be between $2,000 and $2500, with some other estimates lowering it to $2100 to $2300 or at least $2000, putting it well above the price of current iPhones – and even some Mac models in the process. The launch date is scheduled to be in the fall of 2026, most likely in September, with major production beginning in the second half of 2026 – though, as always, we must keep an eye out for slip-ups or supply chain concerns that could push it to 2027.
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