Apple reveals iPhone Duo foldable smartphone alongside iPhone 18 Pro at September event

New leadership and foldable design

At Apple's September keynote at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, newly appointed chief executive John Ternus made his first keynote appearance following a video handover from Tim Cook. Addressing the audience before the presentation, the 51-year-old executive recalled his career at the company.

When I first walked through these doors 25 years ago, I could never have imagined a moment like this. But what I knew even then was that there was something truly special about this place.

Ternus concluded the presentation with the phrase "there is one more thing" to introduce the iPhone Duo, Apple's first foldable smartphone. The titanium-frame device folds like a book into passport dimensions, featuring a 5.4-inch outer display and a 7.6-inch inner screen. Unfolded, it measures 19.3 centimetres diagonally and represents the thinnest iPhone produced to date. Ternus criticized earlier foldable hardware from competitors, saying previous models felt like two phones glued together awkwardly.

Hardware specifications and pricing

The iPhone Duo incorporates Apple's new A20 Pro processor alongside an in-house C2 cellular modem. For biometrics, Apple replaced Face ID facial recognition with a Touch ID fingerprint sensor integrated into the power button, allowing users to unlock the device whether open or closed. The camera setup consists of a 48-megapixel main camera, a 48-megapixel ultra-wide sensor, a 12-megapixel front camera, and an under-display FaceTime camera beneath the inner screen, though optical zoom is limited to 2x. Software adaptations include a vertical home-screen dock, multi-window app multitasking, dual-display camera preview modes, and a bedside alarm clock display when folded halfway. Apple Pencil support is scheduled to arrive by the end of the year. Pricing starts at 2,299 euros for the 256-gigabyte model and reaches 3,800 euros for the 2-terabyte edition.

iPhone 18 Pro lineup updates

Before revealing the foldable phone, Apple presented the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max, separating the Pro models from the standard iPhone, which is scheduled for release next year. External design changes remain subtle, featuring new color options and a narrower Dynamic Island capable of displaying three Live Activities simultaneously. Internal components include the A20 Pro chip, with Apple reporting a 20 percent CPU speed increase and a 40 percent GPU speed increase over the previous generation, supported by an improved vapor chamber cooling system. The main 48-megapixel camera now includes a variable aperture and updated manual controls for photo and video capture. Battery performance increased across both models, with the Pro Max delivering up to six additional hours of video playback. The 256-gigabyte iPhone 18 Pro costs around 1,450 euros, while the 18 Pro Max costs approximately 1,600 euros, representing a 150-euro price increase.

Foldable smartphone market forecasts

Foldable smartphones currently account for roughly 2 percent of total worldwide smartphone shipments. Chinese manufacturer Huawei currently leads the segment, supplying approximately half of all foldable phones sold despite US trade restrictions. Market research firm IDC projects that Apple will assume the leading position in the sector within twelve months of entering the market. By 2027, IDC estimates Apple will capture 31 percent of global foldable smartphone shipments by volume and 44 percent of total foldable market revenue.