Jakarta - Rumors about the folding iPhone have been strengthened after a new report from the supply chain said that production of the device's screen will begin soon in mid-2026. If true, this move could be a strong signal that Apple is finally ready to enter the folding smartphone market, which has been dominated by Android manufacturers.
The leak first circulated on the Chinese social media platform, Weibo, from the technology leaker Instant Digital account. He said that Samsung Display is likely to start increasing production of screen panels for the foldable iPhone in May 2026.
This schedule is considered in line with Apple's production pattern, which usually increases the manufacture of iPhone devices during the summer before the launch in the fall, which generally occurs in September each year.
Over the past few years, Samsung Display has often been mentioned as the main supplier of screens for Apple's folding devices. The South Korean company currently leads the flexible OLED panel market used in folding smartphones.
Samsung itself has used the technology in its folding phone line such as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold. In addition, Apple has also long relied on Samsung to supply OLED panels for various previous generations of iPhones.
A number of industry reports even say Samsung has prepared special production capacity for foldable OLED panels intended for Apple. The facility is expected to be able to produce millions of units of screens each year if the iPhone folding project really enters the mass production stage.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously also predicted that Samsung Display could produce around 7 to 8 million foldable screen panels for Apple when the device approaches the production stage.
Several other supply chain reports also mention that Apple could potentially start producing a foldable iPhone in the 2026 iPhone product cycle. If Apple's launch pattern is followed, the device will likely be introduced towards the end of the year in conjunction with the new iPhone generation.
Although this latest leak does not reveal any new technical details regarding the design or specifications of the device, the information reinforces the pattern of rumors that have been circulating in recent years.
In the smartphone industry, Apple is known as a company that rarely becomes the first to adopt new technology. However, when it finally enters a product category, the company usually tries to polish the technology until it is mature before launching it to the market.
The folding smartphone market itself is currently still in the design experimentation phase. Hinges, flexible screen durability, to software experience are still evolving. Therefore, Apple's "late but mature" approach is often considered a strategy to wait for technology to be truly ready before releasing it to the public.
If the screen production timeline in 2026 is true, then the foldable iPhone could be one of Apple's biggest device launches in the last decade.
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