Apple unveils iPhone Duo, its first foldable iPhone, starting at $1,999

Apple officially unveiled the iPhone Duo on Wednesday, its first foldable iPhone, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, at a “Surprise and Shine” event in Cupertino — the first major product launch under new CEO John Ternus.

Apple's Late Entry Into Foldables

Apple resisted the foldable trend for years while Samsung, Google, and several Chinese manufacturers shipped multiple generations of folding phones. The iPhone Duo enters a market that's already matured, but Apple's scale and software ecosystem could push the form factor toward mainstream adoption in a way rivals haven't managed.

What's Inside the iPhone Duo

The device uses a book-style titanium design with a 5.4-inch outer OLED display and a 7.6-inch inner OLED with a nano-texture, anti-glare finish. It's powered by Apple's new A20 Pro chip and features a dual-battery architecture rated for 24 to 44 hours of use. A new Split View multitasking mode — a first for iPhone — takes advantage of the larger inner screen. The rear camera system is a 48MP dual setup, and closed, the device measures 84.1 x 117.8 x 11.3mm and weighs 254g.

Pricing starts at $1,999 for 256GB and rises to $3,199 for 2TB, in Star White and Night Sky finishes. Apple says the device is carbon-neutral-targeted for 2030, with 100% recycled cobalt in the battery and 100% recycled titanium in the hinge cover.

iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max

Apple also refreshed its standard Pro lineup with the iPhone 18 Pro (starting at $1,199) and iPhone 18 Pro Max (starting at $1,299), both built on the same A20 Pro chip and featuring a new variable-aperture main camera, a smaller Dynamic Island, and Apple's in-house C2 cellular modem.

Availability and Implications

Ternus called the iPhone Duo “the most transformational change to iPhone since the original.” Pre-orders open October 16, with the device shipping October 23 across more than 70 countries. At a $1,999 floor, the iPhone Duo remains a premium bet rather than a mass-market product — and hinge durability over years of daily folding remains an open question that has dogged every foldable maker before it. Still, with Apple's ecosystem and marketing reach behind it, this could be the launch that finally pulls foldables into the mainstream.

Source: Apple Newsroom, MacWorld