The iPhone Duo is official: This is Apple's first foldable

Credit: Apple Published Sep 9, 2026, 2:19 PM EDT Viraj Gawde is a Tech Journalist with bylines at Travel+Leisure India & South Asia, Android Headlines, 91Mobiles, Croma Unboxed, etc. He has written thousands of news pieces, how-to guides, product comparisons, listicles, and op-eds on consumer tech. Currently, Viraj is obsessed with the fast-evolving world of artificial intelligence and how it is reshaping the way we work, create, and use tech. As a curious generalist, Viraj's work extends into a wide range of subjects, formats, and storytelling styles. When away from desk, he is a finance, sports, and travel geek with a constant curiosity for new experiences. Sign in to your How-To Geek account At its annual fall event today, Apple unveiled the iPhone Duo—its first-ever foldable phone. The Cupertino-based tech giant is eight years late to the party, since Samsung popularized the segment in 2019. Unlike many OEMs that first debuted a book-style folding phone, the iPhone Duo takes a different approach with a passport-style design. iPhone Duo delivers iPad multitasking on Apple's first foldable Thinner than the iPhone Air, bigger than any iPhone screen Right off the bat, the iPhone Duo looks similar to Google’s first-generation Pixel Fold or even the Microsoft Surface Duo. It has rounded corners, giving it a ‘D’-shaped look when folded. The top frame has volume rocker keys while the power and action buttons sit on the right edge. The power button also doubles as a Touch ID, as Apple has dropped Face ID on the foldable. The company doesn’t explain this decision, but it’s likely due to space constraints. Around the back, there’s a small pill-shaped island housing a 48MP primary camera and 12MP telephoto with 2x zoom. Coming to the display, the iPhone Duo features a 5.5-inch external display and the internal screen measures 7.8 inches. Both have an OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and a 12MP selfie camera. Beyond just a larger screen real estate, the foldable phone also gets support for the Apple Pencil, making it useful for jotting down notes, sketching, and other precise interactions. Apple says that it is using Liquid Metal and titanium hinges to reduce the pesky crease in the middle of the display and ensure long-term durability. It helps distribute and reduce stress when the phone folds and unfolds. In its folded state, the iPhone Duo is 11.3mm thick, and when opened, it measures 5.2mm, making it surprisingly thinner than the iPhone Air. The small and wide form factor should make one-handed phone usage comfortable. The dimensions are nearly the same as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8. Apple is also significantly tweaking how iOS works on a foldable to make better use of the large inner display. The iPhone Duo ships with iOS 27, and the software experience is refined to take advantage of the foldable form factor. When unfolded, the device supports multitasking, allowing two apps to run side-by-side. Certain apps can display additional controls in a sidebar, making the experience feel closer to using an iPad. Inside, Apple is equipping its first foldable with a top-tier A20 Pro chipset, which brings performance gains over last year’s A19 Pro. The iPhone Duo packs 12GB of RAM coupled with 256GB going up to 2TB storage options. The device is rated to last up to 31 hours on inner screen and 44 hours in folded state. How much does the iPhone Duo cost? The iPhone Duo starts at $1,999, making it the most expensive iPhone to date. It comes in Star White and Night Sky colors. Pre-orders begin October 12th with availability from October 23rd.