Samsung pockets $250 for each iPhone Duo display sold

Spending $2,000 on Apple's new folding iPhone means Samsung collects $250 from that sale — and not through a third-party supplier, but directly.

A Chinese leaker on Weibo supplied the information. Apple is said to have a contract with Samsung for display technology in the new iPhone Duo.

Samsung Led the Foldable Revolution and Now Profits From It

While developing its first foldable iPhone, Apple attempted to source from multiple suppliers, as is its typical practice. The company often secures two comparable vendors to reduce costs.

No alternative supplier was available this time. LG Display remains unable to produce a foldable phone screen. BOE manufactures them for Huawei, but Apple judges their quality and reliability insufficient.

Samsung was the only option.

“Apple was seemingly forced to accept the arrangement because no other firm was able to supply the required screens,” William Gallagher wrote in the AppleInsider on Friday.

Apple typically pays about $70 for a standard iPhone screen. The foldable display costs three times that amount, making it over 10% of the device's retail price.

Nearly $2 Billion Goes to Apple's Chief Competitor

Citi projects Apple will sell 7.3 million iPhone Duo units in the first year. At $250 per display, that amounts to roughly $1.8 billion for Samsung Display.

Apple to Pay $250 Per iPhone Duo Foldable Display in Samsung Deal — MacRumors.com (@MacRumors) September 11, 2026

Samsung will use some of that revenue to compete against Apple, as the two are among the world's leading smartphone brands.

The Samsung Galaxy Fold shares retail space with the iPhone Duo. Samsung claims its latest model attracted more iPhone users than any prior version.

Despite the $250 per screen cost, Apple (AAPL) shares traded around $332 on Friday, gaining roughly 1.9% and nearing an all-time high.

BeInCrypto noted the stock decline following the September 9 keynote. Analysts predicted a recovery within 30 to 60 days, but it occurred in just two days.

The iPhone Duo was revealed that day during John Ternus's first keynote as CEO. He took over a firm that succeeds by managing its supply chain.

For the next three years, Ternus has no control over the single component essential to the foldable iPhone's design.