A go or no-go call on a new kind of foldable glass is reportedly due in the last quarter of 2027, and both Apple and Samsung are said to be in the running. The glass would be thinned only where the screen creases, leaving thicker, more scratch-resistant glass elsewhere on the display, for phones due in 2028.
Neither company has said anything about it. The details come from industry reports that cite supplier sources, so they are unconfirmed, and the plan could change or be dropped before 2028.
The reported thickness is about 40 micrometres at the crease and above 100 micrometres on the rest of the panel. Compared with that, the reports list the Galaxy Z Fold 8 at 60 micrometres and the Z Flip 8 at 50. The Z Fold 8 Ultra and iPhone Duo are put at 45. Those are the reports’ figures, not specifications from the makers.
Two things make this hard. Suppliers have to etch away the middle strip and then refill it with a resin that bends light the same way glass does, otherwise a visible stripe would cross the screen. The plans differ under the screen. Apple would put in one more 40-micrometre glass sheet against creasing. Titanium plates stay in Samsung’s design for now. A Samsung-made replacement for them is still in development.
Why bother? Phones with a single thin sheet bend well but mark easily, and a thicker sheet would crack at the hinge. Etching only the fold is meant to avoid both problems if production yields allow it, and nothing on sale today uses this approach.
