While foldable patents from Apple have been published for years now, many rumors have surfaced in the last year about Apple's likely entry into the foldable smartphone market will finally arrive in late 2026. Mark Gurman's latest latest newsletter published yesterday repeated this rumor.

Today we're learning that China's Lens Technology company could be one of the first vendors of Apple's foldable product cover window Ultra Thin Glass (UTG). It is expected that the UTG glass material will be supplied by Corning in the United States.

The Elec's report further noted that "Industry insiders cite Lens’ UTG mass production history, technology, and financial power as its strengths. Lens has a history of supplying UTG for foldable phones to Chinese smartphone companies. Lens’ technology is known to be relatively stable in areas such as UTG reinforcement and minimizing side cracks after cutting.

The lens also has etching technology. Apple prefers a concept UTG that only etches the folded central part of the UTG. If only the central part is made thin, the overall thickness of the UTG can be increased, strengthening durability. Etching technology is also needed to make the entire surface of the UTG flat.

The industry estimates that around 70% of the UTG volume of Apple's foldable products will be supplied by Lens Technology. The remaining volume can be supplied by Korean UTG companies. Korean companies that are being mentioned as candidates for UTG second vendors include Dowinsys and UTI. Each of the two companies has its own strengths and weaknesses.

Apple plans to release its first foldable product in the second half of 2026. Samsung Display is likely to be the sole supplier of the foldable panel for the product. LG Display could also take advantage."