Apple has entered the foldable smartphone market with the launch of the iPhone Duo, its first foldable iPhone, unveiled at the company’s launch event on Wednesday.
The device, introduced by Apple executive John Ternus, features a book-style design with rounded edges. It unfolds horizontally to reveal a 7.6-inch internal display, while a smaller external screen lets users carry out everyday tasks without opening the phone.
Apple called the iPhone Duo its thinnest iPhone yet when fully unfolded. It also marks the first time Apple Pencil support has come to an iPhone, giving users a larger canvas for writing, drawing, and productivity work.
Ternus described the device as an entirely new iPhone experience that still carries the design language Apple is known for.
Biggest Screen Yet
Unfolded, the iPhone Duo offers the largest display ever fitted to an iPhone — its 7.6-inch internal screen provides roughly 80 percent more display space than the iPhone 18 Pro. The outer screen, meanwhile, is about 90 percent the size of the iPhone 18 Pro’s display, enough for messaging, browsing, and notifications without unfolding.
Apple said the hinge was engineered to keep the internal display flat when open, while offering controlled movement during folding.
Specs and Design
The iPhone Duo runs on Apple’s A20 Pro chip — the same processor in the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max — and includes a 48-megapixel camera. It comes in two colours: Star White and Night Sky, with a titanium body.
The phone uses separate battery units on either side of the hinge, which Apple says can deliver up to 24 hours of battery life with balanced use of both screens. Fast charging takes the battery to 50 percent in about 20 minutes, and Apple says a five-minute charge can power up to five hours of video playback on the outer display.
Rather than Face ID, the iPhone Duo uses a fingerprint sensor built into the side button, and it ships as an eSIM-only device worldwide.
New In-House Modem
The device also debuts Apple’s C2 modem, the company’s second-generation in-house cellular chip — another step in reducing reliance on Qualcomm. Apple’s chief hardware officer, Johny Srouji, said the C2 is up to 50 percent faster than its predecessor while using 15 percent less energy. It supports 5G mmWave in the US, with AI used to improve reconnection speed in weak-coverage areas.
Price and Availability
The iPhone Duo starts at $1,999 in the United States. Apple has not announced a Nigerian retail price, but the device is expected to cost well above ₦2 million locally once exchange rates, taxes, import costs, and retailer margins are factored in.
Pre-orders open October 16, with sales beginning October 23 in more than 70 countries and regions, including the US, UK, China, Japan, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Singapore, and the UAE. A further 28 markets will get the device from October 30.
Apple’s move into foldables comes years after rivals like Samsung and Huawei established themselves in the category. Still, analysts expect the entry to boost the segment significantly — IDC projects Apple could capture roughly 40 percent of the global foldable smartphone market by the end of next year.
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