Apple's foldable iPhone displays will be supplied by Samsung under a three-year exclusive contract, with initial shipments expected to reach approximately 3 million units.

According to Korea Electronics Industry Media, a media outlet familiar with the South Korean semiconductor industry, Samsung has signed an exclusive supply agreement for the display of Apple's foldable iPhone, which is scheduled to be released in September.

Samsung Display to Solely Supply Apple With Foldable OLED Panels for Three Years - THE ELEC, Korea Electronics Industry Media
https://www.thelec.net/news/articleView.html?idxno=6426

According to Korea Electronics Industry Media, Apple has entered into an agreement with Samsung to receive OLED displays for its foldable smartphones in exchange for not using any other foldable displays for the next three years.

This exclusive agreement was reportedly proposed by Samsung. Since Samsung also sells foldable smartphones, supplying foldable displays to Apple would constitute 'supplying a key component for a directly competing product,' so it is speculated that some kind of 'reason' was needed to pass Apple's internal review process.

Products from China's BOE Technology Group, which supplies foldable displays to Huawei, do not meet Apple's requirements in terms of durability, quality, and yield, and LG Display has no track record of supplying foldable displays for smartphones. Apple reportedly accepted this exclusive agreement because it could not find any other suitable alternative suppliers.

Samsung plans to begin production of foldable displays for Apple by June 2026. Initially, the number of foldable iPhones expected to ship was around 10 million units, but various leaks have lowered the figure to around 3 million units as of April 2026.

Apple's foldable iPhone is progressing smoothly towards its September launch, but initial supply may be limited - GIGAZINE

Foldable smartphones remain a niche market, accounting for less than 2% of the global smartphone market. While approximately 20 million foldable smartphones were projected to ship by 2025, Apple's entry into the market is expected to expand it.

Regarding the reason why Apple reduced its initial shipment numbers, industry insiders speculate that 'since the Apple Vision Pro, which was priced at a high $3,499 (approximately 560,000 yen), didn't sell well, they want to first see how well the equally expensive iPhone, which is expected to cost over $2,000 (approximately 320,000 yen), will sell.'