Did Samsung accidentally leak the iPhone Fold’s display?

Apple is decidedly late to the foldable phone party, but it’s been a long-held assumption the company wouldn’t take the plunge until it found a way around the persistent display crease. Leaks and rumours recently reported that Apple has entered production of a crease-free display. And we know from other rumours that Samsung is the manufacturer of said display.

Now, nestled beside a Galaxy Z Fold 7 at Samsung’s CES 2026 event was a new kind of foldable display – one with absolutely zero crease. Do you see where I’m going with this?

• Read more: Apple iPhone Fold: will there be a foldable iPhone and will it flip or not flip?

This wasn’t just any foldable panel, it was most like the panel – the creaseless OLED tech that Apple is reportedly planning to use in its upcoming foldable iPhone. The display uses a laser-drilled metal plate made by South Korea’s Fine M-Tec. Reputable supply chain leaker Ming-Chi Kuo linked this specific component to both the Z Fold 8 and the iPhone Fold, so that’s further validation this is the panel. Apple supposedly designed the panel structure and materials itself, while Samsung created it.

This new prototype is fairly impressive – it has no crease when you look at it from the front. When you tilt it and look at the screen from the side, the crease becomes more noticeable. But it’s leaps and bounds better that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 or any other foldable phone I’ve used.

Dimensions-wise, the Z Fold 7’s display is 6.5 inches closed, 8 inches open, and tall as a skyscraper. Apple’s approach, according to leaks, will be shorter and wider – between 5.3 and 5.5 inches closed, and around 7.5 to 7.8 inches open. That will result in a 4:3 aspect ratio when unfolded, which is more tablet-like than phone-like.

Suspiciously, other CES 2026 attendees noticed that Samsung removed the panel from display shortly after it’s event, claiming it was just an R&D concept and nothing to do with the Z Fold 8. I think it’s pretty clear we just got an accidental preview of Apple’s most top-secret hardware, courtesy of Samsung’s own booth. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is expected to launch this summer, while Apple’s iPhone Fold should hit mass production in 2026, likely landing around mid-September.

• Related: I want the iPhone Fold to be like the Galaxy Z TriFold but better. That’s not going to happen