Apple iPhone Fold: New leaks point to a display choice absent from Samsung Galaxy Z foldables

Apple’s long-rumoured foldable iPhone is beginning to take shape, and one of its most critical design choices may come down to something users interact with every single day: the screen itself.

According to a supply chain report from The Elec, as quoted by Mac Rumors, Apple is testing new protective display films for its first foldable device, signalling a push to improve durability and touch quality beyond what current foldables offer. At the centre of this evaluation is the outermost layer of the foldable screen, the material that sits above ultra-thin glass and absorbs everyday wear.

The company is reportedly weighing two options for this protective layer: polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a commonly used plastic film, and clear polyimide (CPI), a more advanced alternative known for its toughness. While ultra-thin glass has become standard across foldable phones for added rigidity and visual clarity, it still needs a flexible polymer coating on top to prevent cracks and scratches. This top layer plays a major role in how sturdy and how premium the display feels in daily use.

Most foldable phones on the market today, including Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip series, rely on PET film. Apple, however, appears to be exploring CPI as a way to set its foldable iPhone apart. CPI is more expensive to produce, but it offers higher surface hardness and better resistance to scuffs, potentially addressing one of the biggest complaints users have about foldable screens, according to MacRumours.

South Korea’s Kolon Industry has reportedly emerged as a leading contender to supply CPI film, having already invested in large-scale production facilities in anticipation of increased demand from foldable devices. Meanwhile, China-based Lens Technology is expected to provide the ultra-thin glass itself and handle the final bonding process between the glass and the protective film.

With component testing said to be entering its later stages, Apple is expected to make a final call on the display film soon. Alongside these material experiments, leaks suggest the foldable iPhone could feature a large, crease-free inner display measuring around 7.8 inches, paired with a smaller 5.5-inch cover screen. Other reported specifications include Touch ID, dual rear cameras, Apple’s A20 chip, and a new in-house “C2” modem.

Leaks suggest Apple’s foldable iPhone could feature a four-camera system, split across its inner, outer, and rear surfaces. The outer cover display is expected to house a hole-punch front camera, while the inner folding display may include an under-display camera, a first for an iPhone.

Notably, the under-display camera is not expected to support Face ID, with Apple reportedly opting for Touch ID instead. What stands out is the reported resolution: the under-display camera could be 24 megapixels, which would surpass current Android implementations that typically use much lower resolutions to hide the camera beneath the screen.

On the back, the foldable iPhone is said to feature a dual-camera system comprising a main camera and an ultra-wide lens, both reportedly 48 megapixels. A telephoto lens is not expected, bringing the total camera count to four.

Under the hood, the foldable iPhone is widely reported to run on Apple’s A20 chip, manufactured using TSMC’s 2nm process. The move to 2nm is expected to deliver notable gains in both speed and efficiency, with reports suggesting performance improvements of up to 15 per cent and power efficiency gains of around 30 per cent compared to the A19.

Apple is also expected to adopt TSMC’s Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module (WMCM) packaging, which integrates RAM directly onto the same wafer as the CPU, GPU and Neural Engine. This approach could result in faster system performance, better thermal efficiency, and improved on-device AI capabilities.

For connectivity, reports point to the inclusion of Apple’s second-generation C2 modem. Unlike the first-generation C1, the C2 is expected to support mmWave 5G and offer performance comparable to Qualcomm’s latest modems.

Battery life has long been a challenge for foldable phones, largely due to space constraints within folding designs. However, Apple is reportedly aiming to overcome this with a significantly larger battery.

The foldable iPhone is expected to pack a battery in the 5,400 to 5,800mAh range, potentially the largest battery ever used in an iPhone. For comparison, the current battery size leader in Apple’s lineup is the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which is reported to feature a 5,088mAh battery.