BOE's new fight with Samsung Display could affect the iPhone Fold
BOE filed a new patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung Display, seeking a US ban on completed smartphones, which theoretically may include the iPhone Fold.
Render of a possible iPhone Fold - Source AppleInsider
While news of the suit has only now been revealed, it was filed on July 15, 2025. That's just over a week before the US International Trade Commission (ITC) notably made a preliminary recommendation that BOE display panels be banned.
According to South Korean publication The Guru, this latest filing by BOE was made in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. It is reportedly the second such suit BOE and its subsidiary Chengdu BOE Optoelectronics Technology have filed in the last two months.
As with all of the legal cases between the two firms, this latest one concerns OLED display panels. BOE's suit claims that Samsung Display stole four patents regarding OLED manufacture, including an under-display camera.
How this affects Apple
BOE wants Samsung to be prevented from distributing its allegedly patent-infringing products in the US. According to BOE, that includes the Samsung Galaxy X Fold 5, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, and more.
Clearly, Apple would not be affected by any ban on Samsung smartphones. However, it has recently been reported that Apple has chosen to use a Samsung Display screen panel for its iPhone Fold.
The full extent of BOE's suit is not clear, and it is unlikely that the as-yet unreleased iPhone Fold will have been named in the filing. Yet if Apple's device does use a Samsung Display screen, that screen seemingly comes under the scope of the BOE suit.
So the iPhone Fold could be banned, but that would depend on the details of the suit and also when any successful ban would be introduced.
This is different from the ITC case in that it concerns completed devices, whereas the US regulator is recommending an import ban on BOE's display components. In response to the ITC's preliminary ruling, Apple told AppleInsider that rumors of this meaning a ban on iPhone imports were not true.
"Apple is not a party to this case, and the order has no impact on any Apple products," said Apple. The company has not yet commented on this further BOE suit.
What happens next
The ITC recommendation, though, is just one of a series of legal battles between BOE and Samsung Display, which have been going since 2023.
BOE and Samsung are certain to be embroiled in legal cases for some time. It has now filed two suits while Samsung Display has filed three, and also submitted a complaint to the ITC.
Now that a preliminary ruling has been made by the ITC, BOE is expected to lose that case. The regulator rarely reverses its decisions.
That ITC case will, though, be resolved by January 2026, as the regulator will report its conclusion in November. As US president, Trump then has two months to decide whether to allow the ban against importing BOE displays.
It's not clear when the rest of the legal cases will conclude or whether the two firms will continue to file new ones.
Apple's iPhone Fold has been rumored for years
What is clearer is that both firms have been working to get more orders from Apple. Samsung Display has reportedly begun building a new factory specifically for iPhone Fold displays, for instance.
At the same time, BOE has been expanding its manufacturing capacity. While it appears to have done so before earning any further orders from Apple, it's believed that the move is an attempt to grow its position as an Apple supplier.
BOE has had a troubled past with Apple, however. While it is believed to now provide displays for the iPhone 16e, it was previously cut out of Apple's supply chain entirely for making unauthorized changes to simplify production.
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Comments
** Why would Apple make a folding iPhone at all, given there’s no reason beyond novelty for the added expense, software bloat and inherent wear and damage vulnerabilities? Existing folding phones have not demonstrated any crushing demand that should create any existential FOMO angst at Apple. An iPad that folds to become more portable makes sense, but a phone, not so much.
There will be a lot of "grey zone" items to clarify who is right and who is wrong.
Having worked in the display industry, I am not surprised that some confidential items (Key process parameters via control plan from equipments, LC, PI materials) are somehow exposed to other companies.
It is no secret that BOE, Tianma, or other Chinese suppliers hire a lot of experts from Korea (LG Display and Samsung) and Japan (JDI, Sharp etc.).
There are also claims from South Korea that Apple is deeply involved and Apple has shared a lot of information about Korean suppliers´ key process parameters to BOE.
Based on my experience, even H***** nominated a Korean supplier and shared all necessary information to domestic suppliers which Chinese display suppliers needed. There were a lot of information sharing among Chinese suppliers.
What I want to say is that the situation is more complex and maybe, it is not about Samsung vs. BOE.