Apple is partnering with LG for a foldable iPhone: Reports

Moneycontrol News 

Apple is reportedly working on a foldable iPhone in partnership with LG- and not Samsung, who is the present supplier of OLED displays for its latest iPhone.

Apple’s choice of South Korea-based LG may be attributed to its impressive gains in foldable screen technology over the years. LG, back in 2016, had showcased a roll-up OLED display.

South Korean conglomerate Samsung raked in around USD 4 billion more in revenue from Apple iPhone X parts that it manufactures.

Also Read: Samsung's foldable smartphone just received its final certification, may launch soon

Alongside the screen, a future foldable iPhone would also require a flexible circuit board and Apple may also assign the printing of such a board to LG, as per a report from Korean website The Investor.

LG recently started its first OLED production for phones at its E5 plant in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, as per a CNN News18 report.

However, Apple and LG’s partnership may not be seeing fruit until 2020, giving Samsung quite a large window to go one-up on its rival.

In the end, reports claim that Apple is actively considering a significant investment in the LG plant responsible for the manufacturing of flexible OLED displays.

Also Read: Microsoft patents a foldable phone-to-tablet mobile device

Samsung is also set to bring out the foldable smartphone sometime early next year and is reportedly going to be called "Galaxy X". The Samsung "Galaxy X" is likely to make an appearance during the CES consumer technology show in January.

Some media reports claim that Apple is moving away from Samsung due to the concern of possible leaks from the display wing of Samsung on future plans about iPhones.