Apple’s latest iPhone launch has once again demonstrated one of the most interesting realities in the smartphone industry. And that’s the fact that even though Samsung and Apple are fierce competitors, a surprising amount of the technology inside Apple’s most expensive smartphones comes from the same company Apple is competing against.
As you may well know, Apple unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and its first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo, on September 9. The Duo immediately drew comparisons with Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8, which was released only weeks earlier. The resemblance is not merely a matter of appearance. Apple is entering a category that Samsung has spent years developing, while relying on Samsung’s component expertise in parts of the supply chain.
This is why the latest iPhone raises an intriguing question: does Samsung have the technology and hardware, while Apple has the brand?
Let’s Consider the Display
Samsung Display is one of the world’s dominant suppliers of advanced OLED panels and has long been a major Apple supplier. Reports surrounding the iPhone 18 generation indicate that Samsung Display is supplying OLED panels for Apple’s new smartphones, alongside LG Display. Samsung’s expertise in OLED technology is particularly significant because displays are among the most visible and technically demanding components of a modern smartphone.
The relationship becomes even more interesting with the iPhone Duo. Apple’s first foldable iPhone uses technology from the same foldable-display supply chain that helped Samsung establish itself as the dominant player in foldable smartphones. Reuters reported recently that Apple is using parts from Samsung’s foldable supply chain, including displays, as it enters a market Samsung pioneered in 2019.
Then There Is the Phone’s Memory
The latest iPhones have arrived at a time when smartphone memory has become strategically important because of the growing demands of artificial intelligence. Samsung Electronics is one of the world’s largest memory-chip manufacturers, alongside SK Hynix and Micron. Apple has been particularly exposed to this market because its iPhones increasingly require more memory for advanced computing and AI functions. Reuters reported earlier this year that Apple relies on long-standing relationships with Samsung and other major memory suppliers as the industry faces a severe DRAM shortage.
Industry reports have also indicated that Samsung secured a significant portion of Apple’s LPDDR memory supply for the iPhone 17 generation. TrendForce reported that Samsung could account for 60% to 70% of Apple’s LPDDR supply, illustrating how deeply the Korean company is embedded in the hardware behind Apple’s phones.
The Camera Story is Potentially Even More Remarkable
Samsung is reportedly entering Apple’s image-sensor supply chain with the iPhone 18 generation. Reports say Samsung is preparing advanced CMOS image sensors for future iPhones, potentially ending Sony’s long-standing dominance as Apple’s principal image-sensor supplier. The reports have not been confirmed by Apple, so this should be treated as a supply-chain development rather than an officially disclosed specification.
Yet Apple deserves credit for something that is easy to overlook: none of these means Samsung makes the iPhone.
Apple designs its own processors, operating system, user interface, camera algorithms and much of the architecture that determines how these components work together. The A20 Pro chip inside the latest Pro models, for example, is Apple’s own silicon, manufactured using advanced semiconductor processes. Apple also controls the product design, software experience and ecosystem that ultimately determine how consumers experience the hardware.
That is where Apple’s greatest advantage lies.
Samsung may manufacture some of the world’s most sophisticated smartphone components, but Apple has turned the assembly of technologies from multiple suppliers into a highly desirable consumer product. It takes Samsung’s displays, memory and potentially image sensors, combines them with components from other suppliers and its own technology, wraps everything in a tightly controlled software ecosystem and sells it under one of the world’s most valuable technology brands.
The irony is particularly obvious with the iPhone Duo. Samsung spent eight generations developing foldable smartphones before Apple entered the market. Apple has now arrived with a $1,999 foldable that closely resembles Samsung’s latest Galaxy Z Fold design. Yet consumers are already treating the iPhone as a major new entrant rather than simply another foldable phone.
That is the power of branding.
Samsung has spent years proving that it can develop and manufacture cutting-edge smartphone hardware. Apple has spent years proving that it can make consumers believe that the combination of hardware, software and design is worth paying a premium for.
In the smartphone business, therefore, the distinction may be increasingly clear: Samsung has much of the technology that makes the smartphone possible. Apple has the brand that makes people want it.I can also make this , with a sharper opening and stronger emphasis on how Samsung indirectly earns from Apple’s success.more Bloomberg-style and business-focused.
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Emmanuel Abara Benson is a business journalist and editor covering artificial intelligence, global markets, and emerging technology.
He has previously worked with Business Insider Africa and Nairametrics, reporting on finance, startups, and innovation.
His work focuses on AI, digital economy, and global tech trends.
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