The Apple iPhone Ultra might well be one of the most anticipated consumer devices of the year, especially given the intriguing prospects of its revolutionary creaseless display, made all the more intriguing by the disappointing real-life results from Chinese competitors like the Oppo Find N6, whose foldable display crease gradually becomes more pronounced with time.
Now, TrendForce has published an interesting report, noting that Apple might be pinning its hopes for a genuine creaseless foldable display on a specific glue.
Apple's secret sauce for the iPhone Ultra's creaseless foldable display revealed in detail
While declaring that Apple's iPhone Ultra will capture 20 percent of the global foldables market in 2026, TrendForce notes that certain challenges still remain.
Foldables develop a display crease due to tiny misalignments in the neutral display layers that gradually worsen with time, leading to stress concentration in the folding area that then causes micro-cracks and permanent deformation.
However, Apple's patents have revealed a novel approach to this persistent problem. First, the Ultra-Thin Glass (UTG) used within the iPhone Ultra's foldable display is likely to sport variable thickness, with the folding area rendered thinner than the rest of the display.
Next, to stabilize the display's neutral layer, Apple might use a special type of glue: Optically Clear Adhesive (OCA). This adhesive exhibits viscoelasticity, which means it remains malleable during slow bending, thereby reducing stress, while immediately hardening when force is applied. It also has micro-fill properties to fill microscopic cracks, further reducing the progressive aggravation of the display crease.
The iPhone Ultra's hinge mechanism remains the key variable
According to a separate report out of South Korea, Apple has tasked Samsung Display to manufacture 8-9 million foldable display panels for the iPhone Ultra by the end of 2026, indicating a plausible sales cadence of 7-8 million units by the end of the year.
Apple has tasked US-based Amphenol to develop the hinge mechanism for the iPhone Ultra. However, the company is still struggling to stabilize the tech, leading to fears of a launch delay. Elsewhere, Apple is procuring UTG cover windows from China's Lens Technology and South Korea's UTI.
What we know so far
It is a given that the iPhone Ultra will feature a complicated hinge mechanism. Also, Apple is reportedly mulling sandwiching the actual display layer between a dual layer of UTG/UFG (Ultra-Thin Glass/Ultra-Thin Flexible Glass) to prevent the mechanical wear-and-tear from repeated contact with the hinge and to better distribute the stress during the folding process, nearly eliminating the dreaded crease in the process. According to Taiwan's Economic Daily, the depth of the crease on the iPhone Ultra would be a minuscule 0.15mm.
Apple will also reportedly apply a color filter - called the CoE (Color Filter on Encapsulation) - onto the protective encapsulation layer of the iPhone Ultra'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.
Meanwhile, according to another report out of South Korea, Apple is apparently eyeing a base price of around $2,000 for the upcoming iPhone Ultra, which, if realized, would constitute a substantial discount to the heretofore rumored price of between $2,300 and $2,400.
This comes as Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported recently that the iOS version on the foldable iPhone will sport "iPad-like layouts and side-by-side apps, enhancing the device’s appeal for multitasking," albeit with a simpler multitasking system instead of the more desktop-like UI introduced in iPadOS 26. Also, the internal screen on the device is expected to be the size of an iPad, replete with a wider aspect ratio, while the outer screen would resemble "the size of the display on a small iPhone." This aligns with previous reports that had postulated a passport-like, wide form factor for the device.
According to Gurman, the foldable iPhone's external display will sport a small hole-punch cutout, albeit with the Dynamic Island UI for viewing notifications. Also, Apple has removed the Face ID system in its entirety and instead integrated Touch ID into the side button. As for the inner display, while Apple is still experimenting with an under-display camera, ongoing tests have only produced images with subpar quality, dramatically reducing the tech's probability of showing up on production-ready iPhone Ultra units. The device will also feature a dual rear camera setup, with previous reports alluding to a 48MP resolution for both cameras.
Other details include:
- A dedicated vapor chamber.
- A 2,713 x 1,920 resolution, with a 4:3 aspect ratio.
- Side-mounted Touch ID instead of Face ID.
- A20 Pro SoC, 12GB RAM, in-house C2 5G modem.
- A 48MP resolution for the rear dual-camera setup.
- A selfie camera with a resolution of up to 24MP.
- A battery with a capacity of 5,400-5,800mAh.
- To launch as an eSIM-only variant.
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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