Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 will get a foldable, non-broken screen from Samsung Display
By ForGeeks
The South Korean manufacturer has confirmed the use of an innovative OLED panel with no visible crease in the eighth-generation Galaxy Z Fold. Apple’s foldable iPhone will get similar technology, but with different materials to reinforce the design.
At CES 2026, Samsung Display showed off a prototype of a foldable OLED display without the characteristic crease at the bending point. This development will be used in the Galaxy Z Fold 8, while Apple has taken a different approach to reinforcing its foldable panel.
Differences in Samsung and Apple panel design
The publication ZDNet Korea is reporting fundamental differences in the materials chosen by the two companies to support their flexible display structures. Samsung MX opted for a metal plate as a reinforcing element, while Apple favored glass. The OLED layer in both panels is identical, but differences in the substrate determine the final performance of the screens.
Traditionally, manufacturers have used polyethylene terephthalate film to support foldable OLED screens. Samsung Display has replaced this material with a metal reinforcement plate that provides greater structural stability. Apple’s solution uses glass as a support material.
Break-Free Technology
Smartphone OLED panels consist of several layers: a polyimide substrate, back plate, OLED element, touch sensor and ultra-thin UTG glass. Between some of the layers is an optically transparent OCA adhesive that acts as a buffer and bonding material.
Samsung Display has modified the OCA layer to reduce the folds created when the OLED panel is bent. The modification reduces stiffness compared to previous generations of flexible displays and provides more elastic cushioning between the OLED layer and UTG coating during folding. This modification plays a key role in minimizing visible creases.
Device specifications and launch dates
Galaxy Z Fold 8 and foldable iPhone are expected to be released in the second half of this year. Samsung is rumored to be developing a variant of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 with a wider screen closer in size to the foldable iPhone’s display.
The competition between the devices promises to be intense. Apple may offer fresh solutions in UI design and app optimization, while Samsung will retain an advantage in cameras and charging speeds.
