CUPERTINO, CA. (THECOUNT) — Get ready for the iPhone Duo — Apple’s first-ever foldable iPhone and one of the biggest design changes in the company’s smartphone history.
Apple officially unveiled the new device Wednesday, September 9, introducing a book-style folding design that transforms the traditional iPhone into a much larger screen when opened. The move puts Apple into the rapidly developing foldable-phone market after competitors including Samsung and other manufacturers spent years experimenting with the technology.
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When opened, iPhone Duo features a 7.6-inch inner display, the largest screen ever placed on an iPhone. When closed, the device uses a 5.4-inch outer display and has a compact form roughly comparable to a passport. Apple says the open device is also the thinnest iPhone it has ever produced.
The two displays are designed to work together, with Apple reworking iOS 27 specifically for the foldable form factor. The larger interior screen is intended for multitasking, gaming, viewing content and running multiple applications in new orientations.
Apple is also emphasizing the engineering behind the hinge and folding mechanism. The company says iPhone Duo uses a precision hinge, a titanium frame and a special nano-texture finish on the inner display designed to minimize glare. The phone will be offered in Star White and Night Sky.
Under the hood, iPhone Duo is powered by Apple’s new A20 Pro chip and uses a custom vapor-chamber cooling system along with a dual-battery architecture. Apple says the combination is designed to provide high-end performance and all-day battery life despite the phone’s unusually thin design.
The camera system also gets a major role in the foldable design. iPhone Duo features a dual 48-megapixel Fusion camera system, with Apple highlighting new ways to photograph and record video using the phone in different folded and unfolded positions.
Another major change is biometric authentication. Rather than relying on Face ID, iPhone Duo uses Touch ID integrated into the side button. The device also supports Apple Pencil functionality, giving the larger interior display some of the capabilities traditionally associated with Apple’s iPad lineup.
Apple is positioning the Duo as more than simply an iPhone that folds. The company says the combination of its hardware and software is intended to create new ways to use familiar iPhone features, including multitasking, gaming, photography and Siri AI and Apple Intelligence.
The price, however, puts iPhone Duo firmly into Apple’s premium category. The foldable starts at $1,999 for the base configuration, with storage options reaching as high as 2TB. That makes it Apple’s most expensive iPhone and places it directly against high-end foldable smartphones already on the market.
Apple says preorders for iPhone Duo will begin Friday, October 16, with the device scheduled to become available Friday, October 23. The phone will be sold through Apple and participating carriers and retail partners.
The arrival of iPhone Duo marks a significant change for Apple. Foldable smartphones have been available from competitors for years, but Apple waited before entering the category, giving the company time to develop its own approach to the technology.
Now the wait is over. The familiar iPhone is about to become something very different — a pocket-sized device that opens into Apple’s largest-ever iPhone display.
For Apple customers who have been waiting for the company to finally make a folding phone, iPhone Duo is here.
Cupertino, California, is located in Santa Clara County in the heart of Silicon Valley, roughly 10 miles west of San Jose and about 45 miles southeast of San Francisco. The city is internationally recognized as Apple’s headquarters and the site of many of the company’s major product announcements.
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