Apple is weighing a key materials decision that could define how its first foldable iPhone feels and survives daily abuse. Instead of copying the polyethylene terephthalate films that dominate current foldables, the company is evaluating a transparent polyimide layer on top of ultra thin glass to boost scratch resistance and durability. If Apple follows through, the iPhone Fold could debut with a screen technology no Android phone has shipped before, and that choice would ripple through pricing, design and the broader foldable market.
At stake is more than a spec sheet tweak. Foldable phones live or die on how their inner displays hold up to fingernails, dust and thousands of bends, and early devices from rivals have shown how fragile this category can be. By exploring a tougher transparent polyimide film, Apple is signaling that it wants its first foldable to feel closer to a traditional iPhone display while still surviving the mechanical stress of a hinge.
Why Apple is eyeing transparent polyimide
From what I see in the reporting, Apple is not simply chasing a new buzzword material, it is trying to solve a specific pain point with foldables. The inner display on these devices relies on ultra thin glass, often shortened to UTG, which can bend but still needs a softer protective layer on top to avoid cracking. Current leaders like Samsung pair UTG with polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, films, which are flexible but relatively easy to scratch, especially compared with the glass covers on standard flagships. Apple appears to be testing a transparent polyimide film as that top layer, aiming for higher surface hardness and better scratch resistance than the PET films that Samsung currently uses.
Several reports describe Apple’s plan in similar terms, with the inner display potentially being treated to a polyimide film placed on top of the ultra thin glass for better scratch resistance. One analysis notes that the iPhone Fold could be treated to a polyimide film placed on top of the UTG, while another notes that Apple is hoping to outdo rivals with a tougher display layer that users actually touch. That same coverage stresses that this top sheet is central to how the phone feels in the hand and how it resists micro scratches, and it frames Apple’s evaluation of transparent polyimide as a deliberate attempt to surpass the PET based solutions described in those reports.
How polyimide could differentiate the iPhone Fold
The strategic angle is clear: Apple wants its first foldable to stand apart from Samsung’s Galaxy Z line and other Android devices, not just match them. Industry reporting from Korea indicates that Samsung currently uses PET films as the protective films for the UTG it uses on its foldable phones, while Apple is yet to make a final decision and is considering transparent polyimide instead. That same reporting notes that this choice could differentiate Apple from Samsung’s PET based approach and that suppliers are already positioning themselves to supply transparent PI films if Apple proceeds, a detail echoed in coverage of Samsung, PET, UTG and how Apple might diverge.
Other commentators frame the move in more consumer friendly terms, saying Apple may use tougher polyimide film for its first foldable iPhone’s display, offering better scratch resistance than Samsung’s PET based solution. One social post summarizing the leaks states that Apple may use tougher polyimide film for its first foldable iPhone’s display, directly contrasting Apple and Samsung. Another analysis argues that, considering the increasing number of leaks detailing Apple’s first foldable iPhone, it is likely we will see the device in stores this year with a new durable screen and hinge system that no Android phone has used before, a point underscored in coverage that notes how Considering the leaks, Apple appears ready to push beyond the displays of 2025 foldable devices.
The engineering stack: UTG, PET and polyimide
To understand why this materials choice matters, it helps to look at the full display stack Apple is reportedly building. Folding screens require the use of ultra thin glass, or UTG, which, as the name suggests, is thin enough to bend but still behaves like glass in terms of rigidity and fracture patterns. On top of that, manufacturers add a polymer layer to protect the glass and provide a touch surface. Current reports explain that Samsung uses polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, as this protective film on its foldables, while Apple might use this same UTG foundation but add another layer called polyimide film to double down on protection, a structure described in detail in coverage of How Apple, Folding and UTG.
Polyimide film, often shortened to PI, is tougher than the usual PET film used on foldables today, according to technical breakdowns that compare polyimide film and polyethylene terephthalate film directly. Those analyses note that Apple currently weighs the option of using polyimide film instead of PET, while rivals like the Galaxy Z Fold rely on PET based layers, and they highlight how polyimide can offer higher heat resistance and better mechanical strength. One report on how Apple might toughen up the iPhone Fold display explicitly states that polyimide film is tougher than PET and that Apple is evaluating this option for its Fold, a point reinforced in coverage that explains Polyimide and how it compares to PET in the context of the Fold.
Inside Apple’s evaluation process
What stands out in the latest wave of leaks is how late in the cycle Apple appears to be making this call. One industry insider cited in discussion of the iPhone Fold display says Apple has yet to make a final decision on its foldable display technology, even as suppliers gear up for production. That same insider notes that the use of a transparent polyimide film this late in the cycle suggests Apple is still balancing durability gains against manufacturing complexity, a tension captured in the commentary that Apple faces when it adjusts materials this close to launch.
Other reports describe Apple’s work in more structured terms, saying the company’s evaluation of CPI, or colorless polyimide, is rooted in a wish to differentiate itself from the materials used by companies like Samsung. One analysis notes that Apple’s evaluation is focused on whether suppliers can meet Apple’s volume and quality requirements, and another social post states that Apple Evaluates Transparent Polyimide Film for its First Foldable Device, highlighting how the company is still testing whether CPI can scale. Together, these accounts paint a picture of a methodical process in which Apple is using formal evaluation of CPI and supplier capacity to decide if transparent polyimide can meet Apple’s standards, a point echoed in the social coverage that mentions Apple Evaluates Transparent its First Foldable Device and stresses Apple’s volume and quality requirements.
Durability, pricing and what it means for buyers
From a user’s perspective, the appeal of transparent polyimide is straightforward: fewer scratches and a more glass like feel on a screen that still folds. Analysts and reviewers have long pointed out that foldables have a durability problem, with soft inner screens that pick up marks from fingernails and dust. New reporting suggests Apple is considering a different approach to protecting the inner display by using transparent polyimide as an additional protective layer, with one analysis describing it as a tougher screen protector than Samsung’s and another noting that Apple aims to enhance foldable iPhone durability with transparent polyimide film, offering higher scratch resistance than competitors. These themes recur in coverage that explains how Apple aims to enhance durability, and in analysis that says According to new reports, Apple is considering polyimide as an additional protective layer.
