Apple's iPhone Fold appears all set to incorporate a range of new display-related technologies for its internal screen, which is expected to be quite thin, energy-efficient, and sport a crease-free look. Yet, one such tech might give rise to a somewhat debilitating sun glare problem for Apple's all-new foldable.
Apple iPhone Fold's display might have a relatively high display reflectivity
Apple's iPhone Fold is expected to leverage a modified hinge mechanism made out of 'liquid metal.' Moreover, in order to minimize the display crease, Apple is widely expected to use the Ultra-thin Flexible Glass (UFG) tech, and apply a color filter - called the CoE or Color Filter on Encapsulation - onto the protective encapsulation layer of the iPhone Fold's OLED panel, rendering the resulting displays thinner, lighter, and much more efficient.
Under a CoE regime, the more conventional, thick circular polarizer layer is replaced with a thinner, directly deposited color filter layer. When combined with a black pixel definition layer (PDL), the combo results in significantly higher light transmittance and reduced power consumption. Of course, for a foldable, thinner displays result in markedly reduced stress, which improves longevity and allows for a smaller folding radius.
Notably, Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra uses a CoE filter to improve the display's efficiency. However, this innovation has significantly deteriorated the smartphone's reflectance, which has risen from 1.5 percent in the Galaxy S25 Ultra to 2.8 percent in the S26 Ultra, and now stands at nearly the same level as the reflectance of the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which does not sport a CoE filter.
Given the already somewhat heightened reflectance of iPhone displays, it can be reasonably surmised that Apple's application of a CoE filter to the iPhone Fold would materially deteriorate its reflectance, leading to a noticeable sun glare problem.
About the author: Writing is my one incontrovertible passion. Over the past six years, he has authored over 2,200 distinct articles on financial and tech-related topics, spanning nearly 1 million words. And he has been a member of Wcctech mobile team since 2025. As an alumnus of the University of Toronto, Rotman Commerce Program, I bring nuance, in-depth knowledge, and a unique perspective to every topic that I cover. When I'm not writing, I'm traveling the world, exploring hidden confectionaries and restaurants as an aspiring food connoisseur.
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