Doha, Qatar: Apple has officially entered the foldable smartphone market, unveiling the iPhone Duo, the company’s first foldable iPhone and one of the biggest changes to the device since the original iPhone was introduced.
The new device opens to reveal a 7.6-inch inner display, the largest screen ever offered on an iPhone, while a 5.4-inch outer display allows it to be used like a conventional smartphone when folded. Apple says the outer screen provides about 90 percent of the screen area of the iPhone 18 Pro.
The iPhone Duo will start at $1,999 in the United States for the 256GB version and will also be available with 512GB, 1TB and 2TB of storage.
Pre-orders will open on October 16, with the phone going on sale in more than 70 countries and regions on October 23. The initial markets include the UAE, Saudi Arabia, China, India, Türkiye, the UK and the US, among others. A further 28 markets will receive the device from October 30.
The launch puts Apple into direct competition with Samsung and other manufacturers that have spent years developing foldable smartphones.
Samsung, which launched its first Galaxy Fold in 2019, responded quickly to Apple's entry into the category, rolling out a promotional campaign highlighting its experience with foldable devices. Samsung currently leads the global foldable market, but analysts expect Apple's arrival to significantly expand the category.
At the heart of the iPhone Duo is Apple's new A20 Pro chip, also used in its new iPhone 18 Pro models. The foldable incorporates a custom vapour chamber for cooling and a dual-battery architecture designed to provide all-day battery life.
Apple has also redesigned iOS 27 to take advantage of the larger screen.
Users can run multiple apps on the inner display, while content automatically adjusts as the phone moves between its folded and unfolded configurations.
The inner display is 50 percent larger than the screen on the iPhone 18 Pro Max, according to Apple. Both screens support ProMotion and Always-On display technology and can reach up to 3,000 nits of peak outdoor brightness.
In another first for the iPhone, Apple said the Duo will support the Apple Pencil with USB-C later this year, allowing users to write, sketch and mark up documents directly on either display.
Photography has also been adapted to take advantage of the folding design.
The phone features a 48MP Dual Fusion camera system, while users can take selfies using the higher-resolution rear cameras and see themselves on the outer display.
A feature called Duo Preview allows the person being photographed to see a live preview of the image on the external screen. Another feature, Smart Take, uses on-device AI to recognise when subjects are posing and automatically capture photographs.
The device also includes Apple Intelligence and the company's new Siri AI capabilities.
Apple CEO John Ternus described the Duo as the company's biggest change to the iPhone since its introduction, saying the combination of a large display and pocketable design was intended to change how users consume content, multitask and play games.
The iPhone Duo will be offered in two colours, star white and night sky, with a Grade 5 titanium body and hinge cover.
Apple's entry could significantly reshape the foldable market. Samsung currently holds about 38 percent of the segment, while analysts cited by Reuters expect Apple to quickly capture around a quarter of the market.
The $1,999 price also places the Duo firmly at the premium end of Apple's smartphone range, making it considerably more expensive than the newly announced iPhone 18 Pro, which starts at $1,199
