Apple has spent years watching other smartphone makers experiment with foldable devices. Now, instead of simply joining the category, the company is making one of the biggest bets on the iPhone since the device was introduced nearly two decades ago.
On Wednesday, Apple officially unveiled the iPhone Duo, the company’s first foldable iPhone.
The new device starts at $1,999 in the United States and combines a compact 5.4-inch exterior screen with a much larger 7.6-inch foldable display inside, according to Apple’s official announcement.
It is expensive, unusual and unlike any previous iPhone.
More importantly, Apple’s arrival could be the moment foldable smartphones finally move beyond being a niche product.
The iPhone Duo transforms into a 7.6-inch device
The basic idea behind iPhone Duo is simple: give users a normal-sized device when they need portability and considerably more screen space when they need it.
When closed, the phone has a 5.4-inch Super Retina XDR outer display.
Open it and users get a 7.6-inch Super Retina XDR display, which Apple says provides substantially more screen space than a conventional iPhone.
Apple has also attempted to address one of the complaints that has followed foldable phones for years: the visible crease running through the center of the screen.
The inner display uses technology designed to reduce glare and make the crease less noticeable.
Both displays support Apple’s high-refresh-rate ProMotion technology, according to the company’s official iPhone Duo specifications.
Apple’s $1,999 price creates a new level of iPhone
The biggest obstacle for many potential buyers may be the price.
The iPhone Duo starts at $1,999 in the United States.
That makes it significantly more expensive than Apple’s traditional flagship iPhones and puts the Duo firmly in ultra-premium territory.
At nearly $2,000 before accessories and other expenses, the Duo clearly isn’t intended to replace every iPhone immediately.
Instead, Apple appears to be creating a new category at the very top of its lineup.
Apple has published complete pricing and availability information alongside its iPhone Duo announcement.
Why did Apple wait so long to make a foldable iPhone?
This may actually be the most interesting part of the announcement.
Foldable phones aren’t new.
Samsung, Huawei and other manufacturers have spent years developing devices with screens that bend and fold.
But despite the attention surrounding them, foldables have remained a relatively small portion of the overall smartphone market.
Early models faced compromises involving durability, battery life, cameras and the crease running down flexible displays.
Apple waited.
That delay may now work in its favor.
Instead of introducing a foldable when the technology was still relatively immature, Apple is entering after years of improvements across displays, hinges, batteries and manufacturing.
Reuters reported that Apple’s arrival is expected to shake up a foldable smartphone market where Samsung and Huawei have already established strong positions.
The question is whether consumers who previously ignored foldables will reconsider them simply because there is now an iPhone version.
The A20 Pro is powering a very different iPhone
The unusual design isn’t the only major change.
Inside the iPhone Duo is Apple’s new A20 Pro chip.
That extra computing power has an important job in a device like this.
Unlike a traditional iPhone, the Duo needs to coordinate different screen configurations while allowing users to move between them seamlessly.
Apple has adapted its software experience specifically for those configurations.
Users can take advantage of the larger screen for multitasking, content consumption, games and productivity rather than simply stretching a regular iPhone interface across a bigger display.
Full hardware details are available through Apple’s official iPhone Duo page.
Apple Intelligence is another part of the strategy
Apple is also positioning the Duo as more than a folding screen.
The company’s broader push into Apple Intelligence means artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly integrated into the iPhone experience.
That could become one way Apple tries to differentiate the Duo from competing premium Android foldables.
The company is essentially selling three ideas together:
A larger portable display, powerful on-device computing and an iPhone experience that remains familiar even when the hardware radically changes.
Battery life could determine whether the idea works
Foldable smartphones have always faced a difficult engineering problem.
A larger screen needs more power, but a thin folding device doesn’t provide unlimited room for a battery.
For that reason, battery performance will be one of the most important things to watch once independent reviewers and consumers begin using the Duo extensively.
Manufacturer battery estimates are useful, but real-world performance can vary considerably depending on brightness, network conditions, apps and how frequently owners use the larger display.
Apple provides its official battery estimates and charging specifications on the iPhone Duo technical specifications page.
When can you buy the iPhone Duo?
Consumers will have to wait a little longer after the announcement.
Apple says pre-orders begin October 16, with the iPhone Duo becoming available beginning October 23 in its first wave of markets.
The starting U.S. price is $1,999.
Those dates and pricing come directly from Apple’s launch announcement.
The bigger story isn’t just another iPhone
Whether the iPhone Duo becomes a massive success remains unknown.
A $1,999 starting price alone will keep it outside the budget of many smartphone buyers.
But Apple’s entry changes the competitive landscape.
Samsung and Huawei have spent years building their positions in foldable smartphones. Reuters’ coverage of the launch highlights how Apple’s entry introduces a powerful new competitor into that established market.
That leaves Apple with an unusual opportunity.
It doesn’t need to invent the foldable phone.
It needs to convince millions of existing iPhone users that folding one is finally useful.
Apple has entered established product categories late before and still managed to dramatically expand them.
The iPhone Duo will test whether the company can do it again.
And for the first time in years, buying the newest iPhone doesn’t necessarily mean getting another familiar rectangle.
