At Wednesday’s “Surprise and Sunshine” event in Cupertino, Apple showcased the iPhone Duo as its long-awaited answer to foldables from Samsung and Huawei — more than seven years after the first Galaxy Fold. The device has been in development for eight years, according to Ternus, who was directly involved in its engineering during his tenure in Apple’s hardware division.
“Others have created foldables that just feel like two phones awkwardly stuck together,” Ternus told the audience. Apple’s model, he claimed, “redefine[s] the experience of using a foldable phone.” The Duo is designed to feel like a small iPad when open and a wider iPhone when closed. Ternus described it as “entirely new and at the same time remarkably familiar,” noting its passport-like size and rounded edges.
The phone is powered by the new A20 Pro chip and features a 48-megapixel fusion main camera and a 48-megapixel ultrawide camera with 2x optical zoom. Its hinge, made from Grade 5 aluminum and comprising more than 100 specially engineered components, was built with AI assistance, Apple said. The inner display uses a custom nanotexture finish to hide the crease and reduce glare. Early hands-on impressions from The Verge described the hinge as smooth and the crease as “almost impossible to find with my finger.” The device is IP68 rated, supporting water and dust resistance.
Notably, the iPhone Duo lacks Face ID, relying instead on Touch ID for biometric unlocking, though it can be unlocked with an Apple Watch. It is eSIM-only worldwide, following the approach of last year’s iPhone Air. Storage options range from 256GB to 2TB, with prices starting at $1,999 and climbing to $3,200 for the highest configuration.
Apple positioned the Duo as a business productivity device, demonstrating its ability to handle Zoom calls with multiple participants and a broader view of Slack. The larger screen supports multiple app windows simultaneously, a feature previously reserved for iPads.
The launch comes as Apple enters a mature foldable market. “The real fight is China, where Huawei owns nearly 80% of foldables,” said Francisco Jeronimo, vice president at IDC EMEA. Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight, suggested that Ternus’s promotion was timed “to coincide with what will be arguably one of the biggest iPhone launches for many years.”
Alongside the Duo, Apple also announced the iPhone 18 Pro lineup, new AirPods, and an always-listening Apple Watch.