Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 will feature the same M13 OLED panel for the third consecutive year, instead of the newer and brighter M14 material found in the Galaxy S26 Ultra. The reason could probably be the rising costs of RAM and components.
We’re expecting three new foldables from Samsung this Summer: Galaxy Z Flip 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide. The news about the display panels is definitely not good news.
ET News claims Samsung won’t be using the latest OLED screens from Samsung Display, but will use the M13, which it has used for the last 2 years. The M13 debuted on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6 in 2024. While the Galaxy S26 Ultra uses the newer M14 display material, the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Plus use the M13.
This newer M14 material from Samsung Display is about 20 to 30% brighter than the M13, and more efficient. These are two important features of foldable devices.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 series could still get some upgrades from Samsung this year, such as improved performance compared to when it was first released and reduced material input required to achieve the same performance.
Keeping the same display material could be a way to offset rising RAM costs
We know the costs of RAM, NAND and CPU components have been on the rise, due to the rise of AI and AI server farms. Samsung may be saving costs by using an older display panel. This way, adding 12-16GB of RAM won’t drastically affect the price.
While this is not certain yet, it can’t be completely ruled out. The M13 is likely slightly cheaper than the M14 panel, so we’ll just have to get used to similar moves from Samsung over the next year. Companies are always seeking to maintain prices without avoidable hikes. For mid-range and low-end devices, the story is different. They will take the hit since there’s less profit margin on those, just like Samsung did with the Galaxy A37 and Galaxy A57 devices.
