Apple unveiled its first foldable iPhone, the Duo, marking a significant shift in the company’s smartphone lineup nearly 20 years after the original iPhone launch. The announcement came on September 6 at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, during an event that also highlighted updates to other products, including the iPhone 18 series, Apple Watch, and AirPods. The event was the first major public appearance by Apple’s new chief executive, John Ternus, who assumed the role on September 1, succeeding Tim Cook.
The iPhone Duo features a folding design that opens to a 7.6-inch screen, offering a display size comparable to an iPad mini while maintaining the portability of a smartphone. Apple described the Duo as a device that "redefines the experience of using a foldable phone," emphasizing a seamless design distinct from earlier foldables by competitors such as Samsung and Huawei, which often felt like two phones joined together. The Duo supports split-screen multitasking, allowing users to run separate apps side by side or multiple windows of the same application. It also introduces Apple Pencil compatibility, a feature previously limited to iPads.
Pricing for the basic Duo model starts at $1,999, with higher-capacity versions priced at $2,599 (1TB) and $3,199 (2TB). Apple plans to release the Duo on October 23, with initial availability expected to be limited due to the complexity of its display and hinge assembly. This positions the Duo as the most expensive iPhone model to date, with the foldable device expected to appeal primarily to Apple’s loyal customer base. Analysts estimate initial sales could reach around 10 million units in its first year, a small fraction compared to the roughly 250 million iPhones Apple sells annually.
Alongside the Duo, Apple introduced price increases across its iPhone lineup, including a $100 bump for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max models, partly reflecting rising component costs, especially for memory chips driven by data center demand. Despite these increases, the price adjustments were more moderate than some analysts anticipated. The smartphone market is forecast to contract by more than 14% globally in 2026, intensifying the pressure on Apple to maintain both sales volumes and profit margins.
Apple also showcased enhancements to its AI capabilities, including upgrades to its Siri voice assistant. The company introduced “Siri Recap” for the Apple Watch, a feature that listens to conversations and provides summaries and talking points without making full audio recordings. Apple emphasized privacy, noting that these recordings are encrypted and stored on the device itself. The company’s renewed focus on AI comes amid a strategic push to make artificial intelligence a more practical, everyday feature integrated tightly with its devices.
Observers note that while the Duo addresses a niche market for foldable phones, it represents Apple’s careful entry into an established product category, with the company aiming to refine and shape the future of foldables rather than rushing to market. For Ternus, the launch reflects an effort to balance innovation with the need to sustain Apple's revenue growth and leverage the iPhone’s dominant role as a platform for new technologies, including AI.
The event also saw announcements of upgraded Apple Watches, including the Series 12 and Ultra 4 models, which feature new health and fitness AI tools such as “Health Age,” assessing various wellness metrics. A fifth-generation AirPods model was introduced as well, promising improved noise cancellation and extended battery life starting at $129.
Overall, the launch signals the start of Ternus’s leadership with a focus on evolving Apple's hardware portfolio while integrating advanced software features, particularly in AI, to maintain the company’s position in a highly competitive and shifting technology landscape.