Apple introduced the iPhone Duo, its first foldable smartphone, during a keenly awaited event at the company's headquarters in Cupertino, California, on Wednesday.
“This is a thoughtful design that only Apple can provide,” the company's new chief executive, John Ternus said upon introducing the device. “The other products out there just look like two phones glued together side by side.”
He said that iPhone Duo, with its hinge design and other details, was similar to the iPad experience. Apple said the Duo, when unfolded, was the largest-ever iPhone screen.
The inside screen of iPhone Duo is 19cm, and when folded the outside screen is 13.7cm.
Johny Srouji, Apple's chief hardware officer, said that iPhone Duo's screen consists of a “non-texture finish” created by Apple that beats all other foldables in terms of quality, although it's not yet clear if there's a crease visible in the display similar to other foldable smartphones. Mr Srouji also said that the Duo can be used in any orientation.
One of the video clips displaying the device showed the iPhone Duo folded on a bedside table with an alarm clock visible, while another showed how the popular Slack messaging app could be used.
It is available in two colours, star white and night sky. Apple said that when the device is opened, it is the thinnest iPhone ever.
With the base model costing $1,999, the iPhone Duo can be bought on October 16 and could be available as soon as October 23.
Digital ads in the UAE from Apple seen Thursday morning priced the Duo at Dh8,499.
This is not the first product in Apple's history to be named “Duo”. From 1992 to 1997, the company had a line of Duo laptops which, at the time, were considerably lighter than other portables.
Apple's stock closed .28% lower on Wednesday at $315.34 per share.
Hefty price tag
A few hours before Apple unveiled the iPhone Duo, those at the Billington Cybersecurity Summit in Washington were contemplating whether they were interested in a foldable smartphone from Apple.
“I upgrade every year and it sounds awesome, but at $2,000 I just don't know,” said Eric, a cyber security seller at the conference.
Because of the nature of his work, he regularly uses both iPhone and Android devices, which he said also makes him less likely to buy a first-generation Apple foldable iPhone.
Eric said that despite foldable smartphones growing in popularity, he has never wanted one.
“I was an OG T-Mobile Sidekick user,” he said, referring to a relatively popular pre-iPhone device, from 2002 to 2010, that folded.
Amy, another cyber security seller at Billington, said that she is happy with her current iPhone and is more intrigued by the possibilities of other Apple products.
“I'm really excited about the new AirPods,” she said, referring to recent reports speculating that Apple may introduce a new version of its popular in-ear headphones containing enhanced sensors and cameras.
“There's a lot of parity with all these new smartphones now.” Amy said that even her children were not as excited as they used to be.
Apple did introduce new AirPods, but did not release the version the company accidentally leaked on video in August, which had integrated cameras and artificial intelligence.
Dave Pakula, a member of Apple's product design division, introduced the company's AirPods 5, which he said contained a more durable design, better sound and improved noise cancellation.
Prices for AirPods 5 range from $129 to $149.
As for the iPhone Duo, despite foldables just being a small sector of the overall smartphone market, analysts say there will be plenty of demand, and that will fuel foldable smartphone growth overall.
Counterpoint Research's most recent forecast report said global foldable smartphone shipments are expected to hit a major milestone in 2026, “with total lifetime units set to surpass 100 million by the end of the year”.
Apple's innovation and the growing desire from consumers for foldables could mean the company ships “up to six million foldable iPhones” this year, which Counterpoint says could give it a 25 per cent market share in the foldable market, behind the industry leader Samsung.
Jacob Bourne, an analyst for Emarketer said the iPhone Duo's premium price point will truly challenge Apple's loyal following.
"The test is whether the trust Apple has cultivated, and the enormous installed base behind it, is enough to convince consumers to choose Apple’s AI devices over increasingly capable alternatives," he explained.
Liz Lee, an associate director for Counterpoint Research, took a slightly nuanced view of Apple's pricing of the Duo.
"Pricing the iPhone Duo just $100 above the Galaxy Z Fold8 looks like a bold move by Apple, even if it means sacrificing some margin," she said.
"It'll leave consumers eager and waiting early on, especially if supply is much tighter than expected."
iPhone 18 Pro announced
Apple also announced an iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max with improved CPUs, GPUs and displays.
The company indicated that its much-anticipated and previously delayed Siri AI was almost ready to go, and available to many in beta form.
Rich Dinh, Apple's head of iPhone product design, highlighted the 18 Pro's significantly improved battery life. He said that iPhone 18 Pro could last as long 36 hours on a single charge, and 18 Pro Max could last 45 hours under ideal circumstances.
And Apple marketing chief Kaiann Drance said the company's engineers had been hard at work to ensure the 18 Pro's camera would deliver the “biggest camera improvements in years”.
She said that all that work has led to a “variable aperture with six blades” on the iPhone's main camera lens, to give unprecedented quality.
To address concerns in recent months about AI-generated photos and authenticity, Apple said it would be adopting the SynthID standard to make it easier to identify content created with, or enhanced by, artificial intelligence.
The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are available to order on September 12, and Apple has indicated it could ship them out as soon as September 18.
The 18 Pro pricing starts at $1,199 and the 18 Pro Max starts at $1,299.
Apple Watch Series 12
Apple also unveiled its Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 models that the company said contain improved sensors to help users keep track of fitness data.
Apple also previewed a fitness-tracking app, Readiness, and a significantly improved Health app that takes advantage of AI to provide data summaries.
Apple's Siri will also have tighter integration in the watches.
Similar to fitness wearable competitor devices offered by Whoop and Oura, Apple also indicated that the revised apps and watch features would provide "a health age", based on data tracked by the watch.
