For years people have asked when Apple would finally make a foldable iPhone. The answer is the iPhone Duo. It opens like a small book, turns into a tablet-sized screen and comes with a price tag to match. Here’s what you need to know.
What’s New?
Apple announced the iPhone Duo on 9 September, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. Pre-orders opened on 16 October, and it went on sale on 23 October. Before launch, people called it the iPhone Fold or iPhone Ultra, but Apple went with Duo.
It’s a book-style foldable. Closed, it’s a compact phone with a 5.4-inch outer screen. Open it up and you get a 7.6-inch inner display. The body is titanium with a Ceramic Shield 2 front and a Ceramic Shield back, and it comes in two colors: Night Sky and Star White. It’s also rated IP68.
When unfolded, it measures about 164.6 x 117.8 mm and is only 5.2mm thick, which makes it Apple’s thinnest iPhone. Folded, it’s about 11.3mm thick and weighs 254g.
Display
Both screens are Super Retina XDR OLED panels with ProMotion up to 120Hz. Brightness is typically 1,000 nits, goes up to 1,600 nits in HDR, and peaks at 3,000 nits outdoors. Having a big inner display and a small outer one means you can use it like a normal phone, then open it up for reading, video or two apps side by side.
One thing to note: Apple hasn’t published a rating for how many times the display or hinge can fold. That’s something to watch for in long-term reviews.
Performance and Software
The Duo uses the A20 Pro, the same chip as the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. It has a 6-core CPU (2 super cores and 4 efficiency cores), a 7-core GPU with Neural Accelerators and a dual 16-core Neural Engine. Apple also uses its C2 modem for cellular and its N1 chip for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread.
It ships with iOS 27 and the new Siri AI, and the software has features built for folding, like apps that react to how the screen is opened. Apple Pencil support is coming later in 2026, but it wasn’t ready at launch.
Storage goes from 256GB up to 2TB.
Camera
Apple went with two rear cameras here: a 48MP main camera and a 48MP ultra wide. There’s no dedicated telephoto lens like on the Pro models, and the main camera doesn’t have the variable aperture that the 18 Pro has. That’s the trade-off for fitting everything into such a thin body.
The folding design does bring some clever tricks, though. When the phone is open, the outer display can show you a preview, and features like Duo Preview and Dual Capture take advantage of both screens. On the outside there’s a 12MP Center Stage camera, and on the inside there’s an under-display camera for video calls.
Battery and Charging
The Duo has two batteries, one in each half of the body, managed by the software as a single power source. Apple claims up to 24 hours of typical mixed use, with up to 31 hours of video playback on the inner display and up to 44 hours on the outer display alone. It supports wireless charging with MagSafe.
What You Might Not Like
- It’s very expensive. In the US it starts at $1,999, and the 2TB model costs a lot more.
- Touch ID in the side button replaces Face ID, and there’s no Action button.
- It’s eSIM-only, so there’s no physical SIM tray anywhere in the world.
- There’s no telephoto camera.
- Some early reports mention screen and hinge issues, and supply was said to be tight at launch, so give it time and read the long-term reviews.
Who Should Buy It?
If you’ve been waiting for a foldable from Apple and want the biggest screen an iPhone has ever had, the Duo is the one. If you care more about cameras and value, the iPhone 18 Pro or Pro Max is the safer pick, and Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 is a cheaper alternative.
| Feature | Details |
| Inner Display | 7.6″ Super Retina XDR OLED, ProMotion 120Hz |
| Outer Display | 5.4″ Super Retina XDR OLED, ProMotion 120Hz |
| Brightness | 1,000 nits typical, 1,600 nits HDR, 3,000 nits peak outdoor |
| Chip | A20 Pro (6-core CPU, 7-core GPU, dual 16-core Neural Engine) |
| Storage | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB / 2TB |
| Rear Camera | 48MP main + 48MP ultra wide |
| Front Camera | 12MP Center Stage (outer), under-display camera (inner) |
| Battery | Dual battery, up to 24 hours typical use |
| Connectivity | 5G (C2 modem), Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, Thread, eSIM only |
| OS | iOS 27, Apple Intelligence and Siri AI |
| Security | Touch ID (side button) |
| Durability | IP68, titanium design, Ceramic Shield 2 front |
| Weight | 254 g |
| Colors | Night Sky, Star White |