Apple may do this to make its foldables more durable compared to Samsung's

2026 may be the year Apple fans finally get a foldable from their favorite company. Much has been rumored about the foldable iPhone, or iPhone Fold, so far but nothing has been confirmed by Apple.

A new report out of South Korea claims that Apple might go in a different direction with the display material for the iPhone Fold so that it's more durable compared to Samsung's foldables.

The report claims that Apple may use polyimide film as the protective film for the ultra-thin glass display that will be used on the first foldable iPhone. It's also said to be considering polyethylene terephthalate or PET film but believed to be leaning more towards polyimide.

PET films are used by Samsung on the ultra-thin glass display for its Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip phones, but the company has dabbled with polyimide before. The very first Galaxy Fold launched back in 2019 used polyimide as the cover firm and Samsung switched to PET the following year.

Polyimide films have a higher surface hardness and are more scratch resistant than PET films. They're also more expensive. It's likely that Apple may opt for polyimide to differentiate its foldable iPhone from Samsung's foldables.

Whatever it ends up deciding, it's quite likely that the panel itself will be made by Samsung Display. So it's not like Apple's choice of material here is going to make any difference to Samsung's ability to make bank from selling it foldable OLED panels.