Manufacturers are constantly innovating in this area and display design will remain a signature of premium smartphones for the foreseeable future.

Smartphone display design changed radically from 2017. Full display smartphones, notches, and punch holes came to define smartphones in the intervening years.

Apple has been the main proponent of the notch cut-out for smartphone displays, while much of the rest of the smartphone industry has moved on to newer less obtrusive designs such as punch holes.



New smartphone designs, enabled by foldable and rollable displays, will define the future of the smartphone. But many of the designs developed over the past few years, in particular under-display sensors, will continue to be an integral part of future designs. Other design solutions, such as sliders and pop-ups for cameras never truly took off.

Foldable displays are powering the new generation of smartphones, led by Samsung and its Z Flip and Fold series smartphones. Foldable display smartphones are still pricy, but they will become steadily more affordable.

Rollables are just around the corner, but their cost and the difficulties of designing a robust smartphone with a rollable display will limit their reach through much of the 2020s. Entering the market in 2024, we anticipate they just 3% of smartphones sold worldwide in 2027 will incorporate rollable displays.

Our forecasts assume that Samsung, along with several other vendors, will bring more affordable inward type foldables to the market in 2022/23. Price is the biggest factor slowing down the adoption of foldable display smartphones by consumers. For these devices to become globally mainstream, prices need to drop down closer to the level of current premium smartphones.

The biggest elephant in the room is Apple and what are its plans are for foldables. We do not expect Apple to rush into this technology segment until the market has fully established itself and design issues related to durability are resolved. Apple is expected to introduce a foldable display smartphone in 2025, which will be the much-needed boost that will help foldables grow to new heights.

Undoubtedly an iPhone foldable will be more expensive than any other mainstream foldable on the market; Samsung and others have an opportunity over the next two years to push prices lower and capture marketshare before Apple enters the segment.
 
 Clients of our Device Technologies (EDT) service can learn more about display technological evolution in different regions or price tiers from the report Analysis: Global Display Technologies Forecasts up to 2027.

Other notable Display technology forecast reports include:

Global Smartphone Display Size Forecasts by Region to 2027

Global Smartphone Foldable Display Forecasts: 2010 - 2027

Smartphone Display Size Forecasts by Price Tier to 2027

Global Smartphone Display Design Forecasts to 2027

Global Smartphone Display Resolution Forecasts by Price Tier to 2027

Global Smartphone Display Aspect Ratio Forecast to 2027