What’s happened: A South Korean firm, Fine M-Tec, has announced a multi-million dollar investment to improve the production of foldable displays for smartphones. The move is predicted by noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo to lead to higher, crease-free standards for the next generation of folding phones, using laser-drilled metal plates to smooth out the plastic display.
The brand is a key supplier to Samsung Displays, which produces the screens for foldable phones, and means phones like the Samsung Galaxy Fold 8 and the much-tipped Apple foldable phone could debut without creases.
This is important because:
- A metal plate created in this way reduces pressure on the center of the phone, leading to less chance of the plastic material creasing over time.
- Creases have dogged foldable smartphones for years, but this new technology will help eliminate that.
- This technology could also reduce costs to manufacture the displays. Foldable smartphones traditionally are priced hundreds of dollars more than ‘standard’ devices.
- It shows that foldable phones are set to go mainstream, and bigger brands entering the market means standards will need to increase.
- Apple has shown interest in foldable phones through patents in the past, and this level of investment could be commensurate with its entry into the market.
So what’s next? The first Samsung phone to emerge using this technology would be mid-2026,n for the Samsung Galaxy Fold 8 ahead of Apple’s traditional September smartphone launch (and the date many expect a foldable iPhone to emerge). Ming-Chi Kuo also predicts that Fine M-Tec will announce additional investment in the coming months as more brands seek to use this higher-end screen component.
