After years of rumors, Apple has officially entered the foldable market. The iPhone Duo was the surprise star of Apple's event today, and pre-orders open October 16 ahead of an October 23 release in more than 70 countries.
Design
The iPhone Duo is a book-style foldable that opens into a small tablet.
- 5.2mm thin when unfolded (11.3mm folded), the thinnest iPhone Apple has ever made
- 254 grams, which also makes it the heaviest iPhone
- Two colors: Star White and Night Sky (a dark blue)
Two screens
| Screen | Size |
|---|---|
| Outer | 5.4 inches |
| Inner | 7.6 inches (nano-texture finish) |
Both are 120Hz ProMotion OLED panels with Always On support and up to 3,000 nits peak brightness.
Touch ID is back
To keep the phone thin, Apple dropped Face ID and moved Touch ID into the side button. It is the first new iPhone since the iPhone SE line to rely on a fingerprint sensor.
Performance and cameras
The Duo runs the same A20 Pro chip as the iPhone 18 Pro, so there is no performance penalty for choosing the foldable.
Cameras are a step down from the Pro, though:
- 48MP main + 48MP ultrawide on the back
- No dedicated telephoto lens (the main camera offers a 2x "optical-quality" crop instead)
- A front camera on the outer screen, plus an under-display camera on the inner screen
Battery
The Duo uses a dual-battery design. Apple rates it for up to 24 hours of mixed use, up to 31 hours using mostly the inner screen, and up to 44 hours using mostly the outer screen. It charges to 50% in about 20 minutes wired or 30 minutes wireless.
Pricing
| Storage | Price |
|---|---|
| 256GB | $1,999 |
| 512GB | $2,199 |
| 1TB | $2,599 |
| 2TB | $3,199 |
How it compares
Apple is entering a market Samsung and Chinese brands have owned for years. Apple's pitch is the same one it always makes: tight software integration and a polished experience. Whether that is worth $1,999 without a telephoto camera is the question buyers will be asking.
Sources: Apple Newsroom, Macworld
