Technologies

I Saw a Creaseless Foldable Screen at CES That Could End Up in the iPhone Fold

Samsung Display flexes its latest OLED concepts, and one in particular appeared to be the most promising.

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 The current phone instantly looked outdated.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.

Technologies

Apple CEO Tim Cook Steps Down, John Ternus Replaces Him

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, April 21

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for April 21

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? I thought that 4-Across, 7-Across and 3-Down were pretty fun — little puzzles inside of the puzzle. Read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Like the name Phil Quickley, for a speedy crossword solver?
Answer: APT

4A clue: What connects these names: Al Green, Betty White, Rose Byrne
Answer: COLOR

6A clue: Star ___ (plant with a pointy pod)
Answer: ANISE

7A clue: What connects these names: Tennessee Williams, Georgia O’Keeffe, Denzel Washington
Answer: STATE

8A clue: Teslas and Rivians, for short
Answer: EVS

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Assumed name
Answer: ALIAS

2D clue: Washington paper
Answer: POST

3D clue: What connects these names: Chris Pine, Zach Cherry, Willow Smith
Answer: TREE

4D clue: Detective’s assignment
Answer: CASE

5D clue: Currently broadcasted
Answer: ONTV

Technologies

OnePlus Reveals New Phones Despite Uncertain Future

Amid rumors of leaving certain markets, the company introduces the Nord CE6 and Nord CE6 Lite.

There’s uncertainty about OnePlus’ future in the UK and Europe, but it’s full steam ahead in Asia for now. The Chinese-based tech company said Monday in a post on X that it will launch two new phones — the Nord CE6 and Nord CE6 Lite — in India on May 7. OnePlus didn’t say when the phones would be available in the US and other markets and didn’t say how much they would cost.

That’s unfortunate, as both Nord phones build on the brand’s recent set of phones with large-capacity batteries. But whereas last year’s flagship OnePlus 15 has a 7,300-mAh one, the Nord CE6 has a massive 8,000-mAh battery, which should last for 2.5 days on a full charge, according to the phone’s listing. While it doesn’t share how fast the phone’s wired or wireless charging is, it does note that the Nord CE6 has 27-watt reverse charging to donate battery charge to other devices. The Nord CE6 Lite, presumably the cheaper version, has a 7,000-mAh battery.

The Nord CE6 and CE6 Lite, visible in a listing on Amazon in India, don’t have prices yet, but they do have a launch date of May 7.

The OnePlus Nord CE6 is powered by a Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 system on a chip alongside a Touch Reflex chip. The Nord CE6 has a 1.5K AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate that reaches up to 1,800 nits of peak brightness. The cheaper Nord CE6 Lite includes a MediaTek Dimensity 7400 Apex chipset, and its screen also has a 144Hz refresh rate.

The Nord CE6 will be available in three colors — fresh blue, lunar pearl and pitch black — while the Nord CE6 Lite will have two options: vivid mint and hyper black.

The announcements come amid uncertainty about OnePlus’ status in non-Asian markets. Android Authority reported that several high-level employees in the UK and Europe have recently left the company, which is reportedly «evaluating its regional roadmap and product strategy.» There were also rumors that the company might shut down its operations in the UK and Europe. OnePlus is owned by Chinese conglomerate BKK Electronics, which also owns phone brand Oppo.

A representative for OnePlus did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

We loved the OnePlus 15’s battery

Earlier this year, CNET revealed its picks for the best battery life among phones, after rigorous testing of 35 models. The iPhone 17 Pro Max was our winner, and the iPhone 17 and OnePlus 15 were both tied for second place.

CNET also compared the OnePlus 15 and OnePlus 15R, with the choice basically coming down to whether you want a bit more premium (at a higher price) or a decent version for $100 to $200 less.

Austin Evans, a tech tester with 5.76 million subscribers to his YouTube channel, said he’s «really happy» that the Nord CE6 and Nord CE6 Lite phones are at least launching in India for now.

«I like OnePlus, they’ve been a disruptive force for years and generally provide pretty good value,» Evans said. «That being said, I’m wary of how ironclad their commitment to the US market will be. Everything I’ve heard suggests they’re narrowing scope significantly to focus on growth markets like India. Fair play, but I’m still a bit concerned about the long-term plans for the company.»