Future Apple and Samsung foldables to use UTG that’s only thin where it folds

Apple and Samsung are looking at a smarter way to handle foldable display glass, and it could finally fix one of the biggest complaints people have with these phones.

According to industry reports citing supply-chain sources, both companies are testing selectively etched ultra-thin glass for their 2028 foldables. Instead of using one uniform sheet of glass, the idea is to thin only the part that actually folds, the central axis, down to around 40 micrometers.

The rest of the screen, the parts that don’t bend, would stay thicker than 100 micrometers. That way you still get the flexibility needed for folding, but the main viewing area should hold up better against scratches.

Right now every foldable is stuck with the same compromise. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 uses 60-micrometer glass, the Z Flip 8 sits at 50, and both the Z Fold 8 Ultra and Apple’s iPhone Duo go down to 45 micrometers. Make the whole sheet thicker and you risk cracks along the hinge. Keep it thin and the screen picks up marks from keys, fingernails, and everyday life way too easily.

Selective etching tries to solve that, but it’s not simple. Suppliers have to carefully etch the glass and then fill the thinner middle section with a special resin that matches the refractive index of the glass so you don’t see any weird transition lines. Under the OLED panel the two companies are taking slightly different approaches: Apple is adding a second 40-micrometer UTG layer at the bottom to help reduce creasing, while Samsung is still relying on titanium support plates for now as it works on its own under-panel glass solution.

Final decisions on whether this actually ships are expected in the fourth quarter of 2027. If the yields work out, this hybrid glass could go a long way toward killing the “soft screen” feel that still puts a lot of people off foldables.

(Source)