Apple Unveils iPhone Duo, Its First Foldable iPhone

Apple has officially unveiled the iPhone Duo, its first foldable iPhone and one of the biggest hardware changes in the company’s smartphone lineup in years. Introduced on September 9, 2026, during Apple’s first major event under CEO John Ternus, the device opens from a compact 5.4-inch outer display into a 7.6-inch inner screen. Apple says the design combines the portability of an iPhone with a larger workspace for viewing content, gaming and multitasking.

The iPhone Duo is built around a Grade 5 titanium design and a precision hinge engineered to provide a smooth folding experience. Its inner display uses a nano-texture finish designed to reduce glare and make the crease less noticeable, while both screens support ProMotion and Always-On functionality. Apple has also integrated Touch ID into the side button, rather than using Face ID, and the device carries an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance.

Performance comes from Apple’s new A20 Pro chip, built using a 2-nanometre process and paired with an advanced thermal-management system. The phone uses a dual-battery architecture and a custom vapor chamber to sustain performance during demanding activities such as gaming, multitasking and on-device AI processing. Apple says the Duo can provide up to 31 hours of video playback using the inner display and supports fast charging.

Apple has also redesigned iOS 27 specifically for the foldable form factor. The larger inner screen introduces Split View, allowing two apps to run side by side, while Apple has added new ways to transition between the outer and inner displays. The device also includes Apple Intelligence and Siri AI features, with on-device processing and Private Cloud Compute used to support Apple’s privacy-focused approach to artificial intelligence.

The iPhone Duo starts at $1,999 in the United States for the 256GB model and will be available with storage options reaching 2TB. Pre-orders begin October 16, with availability starting October 23. The launch puts Apple into a foldable smartphone market that has already been developed by rivals, but the company’s large ecosystem and redesigned software experience could give the Duo a distinctive position.