Apple finally joins the foldable fray with iPhone Duo – smaller, wider, more iPad mini than phone
Years of rumours have resulted in an all-new iPhone for a new era
by Rik Henderson · T3
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Quick Summary
The iPhone Duo has finally been officially revealed.
Apple's first foldable is exactly what we expected – and available in two colours: star white and night sky.
Apple has announced the iPhone Duo at last. Previously dubbed the iPhone Fold or iPhone Ultra in speculation over the last year, it is the company's first foldable smartphone and it's everything we expected and more.
A similar shape and size to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, the iPhone Duo is small and squat but has a 7.6-inch 4:3 OLED display when unfolded. This allows for better viewing of video content and is more like an iPad mini than a traditional book-style folding device.
There are some caveats to the new form factor. It only has two camera units on the rear, without the telephoto lens you'll find on the new iPhone 18 Pro, and it doesn't support Face ID. However, you do get Touch ID on the power button and when open, this is the slimmest iPhone ever made (even thinner than last year's iPhone Air).
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Also, you do still get a FaceTime camera behind the inner display, with a small lens in the top right of the front screen too.
The software has been tweaked especially for the device, to seamlessly work across the front display and its unfolded equivalent. There are multitasking capabilities, app swiping to swap between screens and dedicated features that work when the device is partially folded or when set down on a desktop.
The outer screen is 5.4-inches and has the same aspect ratio as the inner version. While the build quality is typically Apple – grade 5 titanium has been used for the frame, with ceramic on the back and front.
We're yet to see the display ourselves, but Apple claims that it has one of the strongest bendable displays in the industry. And it suggests that the crease is almost eliminated.
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In terms of the other specs, the Duo runs on the A20 Pro chip, much like the iPhone 18 Pro also just announced. It also includes a vapour chamber to keep the chip cool, as well as a C2 5G modem for cellular reliability.
Battery life is claimed to be up to 22 hours when using both screens simultaneously, while fast charging (through USB-C) allows for 50% charge in just 15 minutes.
There are two cameras on the rear, with the main camera capable of up to 4K 120fps video recording, and the 48-megapixel Fusion ultrawide is the same as on the Pro models. As mentioned though, there is no telephoto here.
It will also run Siri AI and the latest Apple Intelligence, of course. And one extra surprise is that the foldable will be compatible with Apple Pencil post launch. That's a big win for those with the stylus already.
The iPhone Duo will be priced from $1,999 / £1,999 for the 256GB model (as previously rumoured) with larger storage options up to 2TB becoming available too. Pre-orders open on 16 October for a 23 October release date.
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