Samsung Display has begun mass production of the foldable OLED panels that will go into the Galaxy Fold smartphone.

Samsung Display has begun mass production of the foldable OLED panels going into the Galaxy Fold smartphone, the company has announced.

Samsung Electronics is expected to begin sales of its foldable smartphone globally on April 26. The 5G version of the foldable smartphone, meanwhile, is expected to be available in South Korea in May, its mobile boss said in February.

The smartphone is expected to launch earlier than its rival product, the Huawei Mate X, which is expected to go on sale sometime in June.

It will be Samsung's first commercial foldable smartphone, with the tech giant expecting to move over a million units of the device.

The foldable display will use new polymer materials that make it 50% thinner than the ones used for conventional displays.

The Galaxy Fold will be 4.6-inches in size when folded and 7.3-inches when spread out.

(Image: Samsung)

Samsung Display was the first to market in delivering small-sized OLED panels aimed at smartphones and is also the major supplier for its affiliate Samsung Electronics.

It also supplies its goods to Apple and Chinese vendors, which have all followed Samsung in using OLED panels for their premium smartphones.

Samsung Display was the first to produce flexible OLED panels -- rather than rigid ones -- for smartphones in 2013. The panels have since been used by the South Korean tech giant to provide an edge design and full screen for its smartphones.

Meanwhile, compatriot and archrival LG Display has fallen behind in the small-sized OLED race, but has focused on building its market share in large-sized OLEDs for TVs instead.

Related Coverage

Samsung Q1 profit to see shock 60% decline

Samsung Electronics expects operating profits of 6.2 trillion won for the first quarter of 2019, a steep 60% drop from a year ago and the South Korean tech giant's lowest in ten quarters.

Samsung begins mass production of its own 5G chips

Samsung has begun mass production for its 5G chips as it attempts to have an early impact in the shaping the next-generation network.

Samsung and Universal collaborate in HDR10+ content

Samsung Electronics and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment will collaborate on HDR10+ content, the companies announced, as the South Korean tech giant continues to woo content producers into pushing the next-generation video standard.

Samsung Galaxy S10 5G reportedly launching April 5

The Korea Herald has reported that Samsung's 5G smartphone will launch on April 5 without pre-orders.

Samsung Galaxy S10 5G: A cheat sheet (TechRepublic)

Samsung's new flagship Galaxy S10 lineup includes an upcoming 5G version.