Why is Apple’s iPhone Duo So Expensive? Samsung Gets $250 for Every Display
Apple is reportedly set to pay Samsung around $250 for each foldable display panel used in its new iPhone Duo, highlighting the unusual relationship between two of the smartphone industry’s fiercest rivals as foldable phones become the next major battleground in the premium market.
Samsung Display has signed a three-year exclusive supply agreement with Apple to provide foldable OLED panels for the iPhone Duo and future models, according to Chinese leaker Instant Digital. The reported $250-per-panel cost would make the display one of the most expensive components in Apple’s new foldable iPhone.
The Left Shift Bureau
Apple unveiled the iPhone Duo, its first foldable iPhone, recently, alongside the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18 Pro lineup. The Duo starts at $1,999 and features a 7.6-inch internal display and a 5.4-inch external screen. It uses Apple’s A20 Pro chip and is designed to combine a conventional smartphone experience with a larger display for multitasking.
The iPhone Duo also marks Apple’s entry into a category Samsung helped establish and has dominated for years. Samsung launched its first Galaxy Fold in 2019 and has since built multiple generations of foldable devices. Apple’s arrival is expected to intensify competition in a segment that remains relatively small but is attracting major smartphone makers.
For Samsung, the partnership illustrates the increasingly complex relationship between its display and smartphone businesses. While Samsung Electronics competes directly with Apple through its Galaxy phones, Samsung Display supplies components to the iPhone maker.
The iPhone Duo uses Samsung’s M16 OLED material set, which is expected to improve brightness, colour performance, durability and power efficiency compared with previous OLED generations.
Apple is also attempting to address one of the biggest complaints about foldables—the visible crease. Its custom display uses multiple layers and a nano-texture finish designed to minimise crease visibility.
With Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi and Apple now competing in premium foldables, the category could become an increasingly important battleground as smartphone makers look beyond conventional slab phones for growth.
Pritam Bordoloi
Pritam Bordoloi
