Foldable phones have become thinner, more powerful, and sturdier over the years, but one attribute has remained constant: the crease on the inside display. At CES 2026, I saw a concept that eliminates that center line for a more seamless look. 

Samsung Display, which is known for showing off futuristic concepts that may or may not make it out into the real world, showed off a prototype of an OLED foldable display that paints a picture of what may be on the horizon. 

Admittedly, all I could think about was whether I’d be seeing something like this in the rumored iPhone Fold, if and when it makes its long-awaited debut. 

The company placed two phone models side by side: one that was simply dubbed a «current» device (Samsung Display wouldn’t confirm if it’s the Galaxy Z Fold 7), and another that’s a concept. Looking at the two phones, the difference was striking. When viewing the concept screen directly and at an angle, I couldn’t really see the line down the center that characterizes present-day foldables. The current phone instantly looked outdated. 

This is particularly meaningful amid reports that Apple is working with Samsung Display to make a creaseless foldable iPhone. The foldable has been rumored for years, and it appears Apple is taking its time to nail the design, with an emphasis on nixing that pesky crease. Perhaps what I saw at Samsung Display’s booth is a concept that will morph into what Apple equips its iPhone Fold with. But we’ll have to wait until the end of this year at the earliest to find out.

Samsung Display’s creaseless screen is also designed to be more durable. To demonstrate this, the company had a robotic arm fling a basketball at a «backboard» made of several foldable concept phones, and none of them got cracked or dented. I still flinched every time.

The creaseless foldable screen was one of several concepts Samsung Display showed off at CES. The company also had a vehicle mock-up equipped with OLED displays, including a curved, 18.1-inch L-shaped center screen for controlling climate, navigation and more. A 13.8-inch passenger display can move into and out of the dashboard for storage, and there’s an option that prevents the driver from seeing what’s on the passenger’s screen to avoid being distracted. 

Samsung Display also had robots that are designed to be teaching assistants. They can guide students to classrooms, share information about professors and display assignments on a circular screen that serves as the «face.» We didn’t really see it carry out commands at the demo, but I was nonetheless enamored by the cute little robotic arms. 

Despite all the futuristic notions, the one that stuck with me most was the creaseless display because of its practicality. It’s not clear how many of Samsung Display’s concepts will ever leave the lab, but if any of them do, I hope it’s that one.