The $1,999 iPhone Duo can run two apps side by side. Apple says Apple Pencil support will come later this year. Daily use will show whether apps, battery life, and the folding screen justify the price.
New to this? Read it in simple words
- Apple introduced iPhone Duo, its first foldable phone. It starts at $1,999 and will be available on October 23.
- The phone has a 5.4-inch outer screen and a 7.6-inch inner screen. Apple says it is 50 percent larger than the iPhone 18 Pro Max screen.
- The phone can show two apps side by side. The larger screen may help people read, draw, or compare things.
- Apple has not yet published repair prices. Independent tests of how well the phone lasts are still needed.
- Foldable phone
- A phone with a screen that folds, so it can open into a larger screen.
One phone now has two screen sizes
When closed, iPhone Duo has a 5.4-inch outer screen. When opened, it has a 7.6-inch inner screen. Apple says the open screen is 50% larger than the screen on iPhone 18 Pro Max.
The phone can show two apps next to each other. It can also open two windows from the same app. Apple gives comparison shopping as one example. Users can save pairs of apps for later.
Apple Pencil support is planned for later in the year. The phone will be available on October 23 after pre-orders begin on October 16. The starting storage is 256GB.
iPhone Duo opens from a 5.4-inch outer screen to a 7.6-inch inner screen and starts at 1,999 dollars.
The new shape creates new design work
A foldable phone needs software that changes as the screen opens and closes. Apple has adapted iOS 27 and its own apps. Outside developers still need to test layouts, controls, video, games, and keyboard use.
The hinge has more than 100 parts, according to Apple. The inner screen uses several protective layers. These details show the engineering effort, but they do not prove how the device will look after years of daily folding.
The A20 Pro chip runs both screens and supports on-device AI. Apple reports up to 31 hours of video on the inner screen and 44 hours on the outer screen. These are Apple tests, not results from normal mixed use.
Price and useful work are the real test
The iPhone Duo costs $1,999. Foldable phones remain a small part of the smartphone market. AP reports that they account for less than 5% of total smartphone sales.
Repair is another open question. A folding screen and a complex hinge create more moving parts than a normal phone. Apple has not yet published repair prices or a long record from customers.
The larger screen may help people read, draw, compare, or work between two apps. It may offer less value to someone who mainly sends messages, takes photos, and uses one app at a time.
Apple has made an important hardware change, but buyers should wait for repair prices and independent durability tests. The best measure is simple: does opening the phone make a common task clearly easier?
Sources
Every fact in this story comes from the sources below. Open them to check our work.
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We used Apple for specifications, dates, price, and its own battery and durability claims. We used AP and TechCrunch for independent market and product context. We clearly label Apple tests and avoid predicting long-term screen or hinge life.
- We first wrote that the iPhone Duo supports Apple Pencil. Apple says support for the USB-C Apple Pencil comes later this year, so we corrected the summary and the introduction.