Apple Unveils iPhone Duo, Its First Foldable, Starting at $1,999

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) entered the foldable phone market on 9 September, unveiling the iPhone Duo at its "Surprise and Shine" event at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California.

The device is Apple's first foldable iPhone. It uses a book fold design with a 5.4 inch outer display and an inner display that opens to roughly 7.6 inches, supports multitasking, and adapts iOS 27 across orientations and folding positions. Apple said it will support Apple Pencil. The construction combines titanium frames with a Ceramic Shield back and Ceramic Shield 2 front, and carries an IP68 rating.

Pricing starts at $1,999 for 256GB, rising to $2,199 for 512GB, $2,599 for 1TB and $3,199 for 2TB. The device is offered in Star White and Night Sky, is eSIM only, and ships with iOS 27.1. Pre orders open on 16 October, with availability from 23 October.

The launch was the first major hardware unveiling under Chief Executive Officer John Ternus, who took the role on 1 September, succeeding Tim Cook. Cook became executive chairman of Apple's board.

Jefferies described early reviews of the Duo as positive overall, singling out the adapted iOS experience, transitions between the outer and inner displays, native split screen behaviour and app continuity. The firm also noted shortcomings, including fewer floating windows, a cap of two apps in multitasking against three on Samsung devices, and fewer desktop class features.

Apple addresses the display crease directly in an FAQ on the iPhone Duo product page.