The iPhone Duo features a 5.4-inch outer screen, a 7.6-inch matte folding display, a titanium frame, IP68 water resistance, and a weight of 254 grams.
The iPhone Duo starts at $1,999 in the United States and 2,339 euros in Spain with pre-orders opening on 16 October, while the iPhone 18 Pro opens pre-orders on 12 September starting at 1,489 euros.
Research firm IDC estimates foldable handsets will represent less than 3% of global smartphone sales in 2026, as analysts Carolina Milanesi and Neil Shah noted Apple's broad positioning across work and media.
Under new chief executive John Ternus, Apple reached a market capitalization of $4.65 trillion, ranking second behind Nvidia at $5.40 trillion.
Apple presented its first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino. The device uses a passport-style form factor with an exterior 5.4-inch D-shaped screen and an unfolding 7.6-inch interior display. Engineers fitted the internal screen with a matte nano-texture finish that obscures the central hinge crease and reduces surface reflections. The chassis weighs 254 grams, measuring 11.3 millimetres thick when folded and 5.2 millimetres when opened flat. The hardware integrates dual 48-megapixel rear cameras, dual internal battery packs, a polished titanium frame, and IP68 water resistance. Software adaptations in iOS support Apple Pencil input, split-screen multitasking with two active applications, and automatic display handoff between the outer and inner panels.
The foldable device appeared alongside the conventional rigid-screen iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models. Both Pro handsets feature Apple's A20 Pro processor, an aluminium chassis, Ceramic Shield 2 on the front glass, and colour finishes in black, silver, glacier, and burgundy. Pre-orders for the iPhone 18 Pro series begin on 12 September, with retail availability following on 18 September. In Italy, the 256 GB iPhone 18 Pro begins at 1,489 euros and reaches 2,989 euros for the 2 TB configuration, while the Pro Max spans from 1,639 euros to 3,139 euros. The iPhone Duo follows a delayed rollout, opening pre-orders on 16 October across more than 70 countries before arriving in retail stores on 23 October.
The pricing structure places the iPhone Duo at the top of Apple's consumer catalog. In the United States, the base model retails for $1,999, rising to $3,199 for the top storage tier, while European pricing in Spain ranges between 2,339 euros and 3,839 euros. Market analysis firm IDC forecasts that foldable handsets will account for less than 3% of worldwide smartphone sales in 2026, with little change projected in 2027. Industry analysts at the event observed that Apple demonstrated the handset running productivity and entertainment tools such as Slack, Zoom, and Netflix without defining a single target demographic. Carolina Milanesi of Creative Strategies addressed this broad presentation in Cupertino.
“Apple doesn't usually define who the buyer is, but in this case specifically, they really shied away from it.”
Neil Shah of Counterpoint Research evaluated the device's functional breadth following the presentation.
“From our end, it was not clear whether it's for work or play, but I think what iPhone has always stood for is being a versatile device.”
The product launch was the first public presentation led by John Ternus, who took over as chief executive on 1 September following Tim Cook. Apple stock dropped 0.28% during regular trading on Wednesday before advancing more than 2% on Thursday to trade near $323. The shares have gained more than 17% since the beginning of the year, bringing Apple's market capitalization to $4.65 trillion. That valuation places Apple behind Nvidia at $5.40 trillion, but ahead of Alphabet at $4.01 trillion, Microsoft at $3.65 trillion, and Amazon at $2.72 trillion. Financial firms including TD Cowen and Rothschild hold price targets of $400 for the stock, while Morgan Stanley targets $360 and Bernstein targets $370.
Data from the article text
Pollar is free and carries no ads in the text. Its members keep it going.
Support PollarAI & Tech · Cupertino
Chief executive John Ternus led his first keynote in Cupertino, introducing the company's first dual-screen foldable handset alongside the A20 Pro-powered iPhone 18 Pro series.
AI text based on reports by Xataka, Corriere della Sera, La Repubblica.it and other publishers. Changed .