In the works for several years, Apple’s first foldable iPhone is finally official. The company announced the device at its “Surprise and Shine” event on Wednesday alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. The folding phone’s marketing name is iPhone Duo, a moniker mentioned in several breaking reports leading up to the company’s press conference and contradicting earlier leaks of the name “iPhone Ultra.”
Official name aside, the iPhone Duo is a passport-style foldable device similar to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 handset that Samsung unveiled in late July. Additionally, the device looks a lot like the various “iPhone Ultra” concepts and mockups that have appeared online over the past few months. For example, many case sellers began showing off iPhone Duo accessories several days before Apple’s keynote.
The handset features a 5.4-inch exterior display that is wider and shorter than most Fold-style handsets released in previous years. Unfolded, the iPhone Duo becomes almost as large as an iPad mini, thanks to its 7.6-inch foldable screen. The foldable screen has a more rectangular aspect ratio. In comparison, most foldable handsets have a boxy appearance when unfolded. Apple updated iOS 27 to take advantage of the new display sizes and larger inner screen. Both panels will also support the Apple Pencil in the future.
The design of the iPhone Duo
Apple entered the foldable phone business seven years after Samsung introduced the first Galaxy Fold model. Although the design and durability of foldable phones have improved significantly over this period, foldable devices remain more fragile than their candybar counterparts. That’s why the build quality of the iPhone Duo was a priority for Apple during the launch event.
The company highlighted the nearly wrinkle-free viewing experience the handset offers when opened. The almost flat-screen experience is possible thanks to a 100-component hinge and internal support ribs that add rigidity to the screen. The frame is made of titanium and the hinge has a 3D printed cover. The antenna lines feature ceramic fiber inserts for improved rigidity. The foldable screen features a scratch-resistant nano-textured outer cover layer. Underneath, the display features two ultra-thin layers of glass surrounding the OLED panel. The screen layers feature a custom adhesive that allows the screen layers to move to reduce stress. The entire screen rests on a titanium plate.
The outer display features a Ceramic Shield 2 shell and, unlike traditional iPhones, does not feature Face ID components inside the Dynamic Island cutout. Instead, the iPhone Duo has a Touch ID fingerprint sensor integrated into the power button on the side. The foldable handset lacks an action button, while the volume buttons are at the top of the phone instead of the left side. The camera control button is present on the iPhone Duo, below the power button.
Coming to dimensions, the handset measures 5.2mm when unfolded and 11.3mm when folded. Finally, the device includes four cameras, including two 48-megapixel sensors on the back (wide and ultra-wide), a 12-megapixel external Center Stage camera, and an internal FaceTime camera under the display.
iPhone Duo: specs, price and release date
The iPhone Duo shares many internal components with the iPhone 18 Pro models. The handset features the same high-end A20 Pro chip built on TSMC’s 2nm process. The processor includes a 6-core CPU, a 7-core GPU, and a 32-core neural engine. The chip is likely paired with 12GB of RAM, a detail Apple didn’t mention on stage. Storage starts at 256 GB and goes up to 2 TB. Battery life estimates are up to 44 hours (video playback on the cover screen) and up to 31 hours (video playback on the inside screen.). The handset supports MagSafe wireless charging and 60W wired charging speeds.
The iPhone Duo runs iOS 27 out of the box, with new Apple Intelligence features the company developed for the operating system, including the Siri chatbot. However, new AI software tools may not be available worldwide. The EU and China are two important markets where Apple still faces specific regulatory hurdles.
The iPhone Duo will be available for pre-order on October 16, with prices starting at $1,999 for the 256GB version and going up to $3,199 for 2TB of storage.. Apple has set the phone’s release date as October 23 for more than 70 markets, including the United States.
