Eight days after taking charge of Apple, CEO John Ternus walked onto the stage at the Steve Jobs Theater and introduced the iPhone Duo, the company’s first foldable iphone.
This marks the iPhone-maker’s first entrance into the foldable smartphone market, nearly seven years after Samsung introduced its first Galaxy Fold.
The iPhone Duo folds into a 5.4-inch phone
The Duo uses a book-style design that opens to reveal a 7.6-inch inner display. When closed, it has a 5.4-inch outer screen that Apple says provides 90% of the screen area of the iPhone 18 Pro.
The inner display is the largest screen Apple has put on an iPhone and uses a nano-texture finish designed to reduce glare and make the crease less visible. Apple has also built a new hinge with more than 100 components and given the device a titanium frame and IP68 water and dust resistance.
The company is also bringing some iPad features to the foldable phone. The Duo will support Apple Pencil with USB-C, while its new Split View feature allows users to run two apps side by side. Users can also open two windows from the same app, such as Safari, on the larger screen.
A $1,999 iPhone with A20 Pro
The Duo is powered by Apple’s A20 Pro chip, the same processor used in the new iPhone 18 Pro models. Apple paired it with a custom vapor chamber to manage heat during gaming, multitasking, and on-device AI workloads.
The phone comes with 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB storage options. It also has two 48MP rear cameras, including a main camera and an ultra-wide camera, alongside a new camera beneath the inner display. Apple says the device can record 4K video at 120 frames per second in Dolby Vision.
The Duo also introduces a redesigned version of iOS 27 built around its two displays.
Ternus takes over with a major launch
The timing of the launch makes it particularly significant for Ternus, who had spent 25 years in the hardware engineering department of the iPhone-maker, before assuming the role of Apple’s CEO on September 1 after Tim Cook stepped down following 15 years in the role.
The Duo also places Apple directly against Samsung, Google, and other manufacturers that have already spent years selling foldable phones. Apple’s $1,999 starting price for the base Duo is about $100 higher than Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold8 and Google’s Pixel 11 Pro Fold at comparable storage levels.
Despite the attention around the launch, foldables remain a small part of the smartphone market, as AP reported that the category still represents less than 5% of global smartphone sales. But for Apple, it is now betting that its hardware, software, and particularly this foldable iPhone can bring more users onto its devices.
