Latest news with #FineMTec
Digital Trends
2 days ago
- Business
- Digital Trends
2026 tipped to be year foldable phones ditch their biggest flaw
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. Recommended Videos 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.
GSM Arena
2 days ago
- Business
- GSM Arena
Kuo: Galaxy Z Fold8 to introduce crease-free display before Apple
Samsung Display has been rumored to bring a crease-free folding screen for Apple's foldable iPhone but a new report from Ming Chi-Kuo suggests the new gen panel will actually make its debut on next year's Galaxy Z Fold8. Galaxy Z Fold7 One of Samsung Display's key suppliers, Fine M-Tec, announced that it would invest a reported KRW 17.5 billion ($12.6 million) to support growing demand for its new generation of laser-processed hinges. The company has developed an internal hinge utilizing laser-drilled metal plates, which will help guide stress distribution and offer enhanced crease resistance. Fine M-Tec is expected to supply over 80% of the internal hinges for Apple's folding iPhone display and Kuo is also confident it will be the exclusive supplier for the Z Fold8. The new report also suggests that Apple's entry in the foldable phone market and its strict requirements for crease-free folding display will accelerate the adoption of laser-drilled display metal plates by competitors. Source
GSM Arena
5 days ago
- Business
- GSM Arena
iPhone Fold's crease-free folding screen to be made by Samsung Display
Once again, a new rumor claims Apple's first foldable iPhone will use a crease-free folding screen made by Samsung Display. In fact, Apple had no input into the panel's design, it's all Samsung on this one - and this is notable because of how rarely it happens, as Apple generally likes to customize every single part it uses in its devices. Not this time, though, and the reason is allegedly to "ensure stable mass production" of the foldable iPhone, planned to arrive in the second half of next year. A custom display solution may not have achieved the same yields as what Samsung Display can offer with its own design. Apple's decision to go all-in with Samsung Display's crease-free solution will benefit the latter's suppliers, including Fine M-Tec, a key provider of internal hinges, which has emerged as the leading beneficiary according to Ming-Chi Kuo, a renowned source of Apple-related information from the supply chains. According to him, Fine M-Tec will have an 80% share (or more) of the supply of this part. The internal hinge is a key part of a crease-free folding screen, as this metal plate helps distribute and control bending stress, preventing the display material from exceeding its elastic limit. And that's how the likelihood of creasing is minimized, Kuo explains. For all of this to work, the metal plate must be highly integrated with the display design, and that's exactly what Samsung Display and Fine M-Tec have achieved. For Apple's folding iPhone, laser drilling will be used to create microstructures that better guide stress distribution and enhance crease resistance. Fine M-Tec should start shipping display metal plates for the foldable iPhone in the first quarter of next year, with unit prices apparently being in the $30-35 range. Shipments are reportedly expected to reach 13-15 million units in 2026, but those aren't the projected sales numbers for the iPhone Fold - they will be lower, more such plates need to be produced than actual iPhone Folds shipped due to yield losses and repair stock requirements. Source
