Here it is: the long-awaited, highly-anticipated foldable smartphone from the Cupertino tech giant is officially named iPhone Duo. Opened, the device features a 7.6-inch inner display; closed, it offers a 5.4-inch outer display with 90% of the screen area of the iPhone 18 Pro. Both displays share the same aspect ratio, allowing content to scale proportionally between the two.
iPhone Duo: Highlights
Nano-Texture Matte Displays
The iPhone Duo adopts the emerging passport-style form factor popularized by Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Fold8 – the 5.4-inch outer Super Retina XDR display is built for one-handed, pocketable use, while the 7.6-inch inner display is primarily for content consumption and multitasking. The burning question remain: how does Apple deal with creases? The answer points to nano-texture finish found in the likes of iPad Pro and Pro Display XDR monitors. The matte surface reduces glare and crease visibility, and there’s even Apple Pencil support to be added later this year for use on either displays. Take that, Samsung.
Apple’s first crack at foldable display hinge taps into grade 5 titanium for its construction, plus a 3D-printed hinge cover, while the main body is covered by Ceramic Shield on the front and back, alongside an IP68 water and dust resistance rating. The hinge itself is built from more than 100 components, with Apple claiming “variable torque curve” that should make opening and closing a relatively easy affair. The inner display also features a scratch-resistant coating and a custom polymer cover layer to withstand everyday folding and use.
Under-Display Camera Is Back
On the camera side, the iPhone Duo includes a 48MP Fusion Main camera with an integrated 2x optical-quality Telephoto lens (sensor crop, in other words), alongside a 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide camera shared with the iPhone 18 Pro lineup. The foldable design enables several new camera functions, including Smart Take, which uses on-device AI to automatically capture photos when subjects are posing, as well as features such as Duo Preview and Duo FaceTime that make use of both displays during photo and video capture.
Apple is also bringing back a tech that Samsung abandoned for their foldables years ago: under-display camera. It sits in the middle of the right side of the inner display, and the OLED display on that portion has less pixel density to allow some light to pass through the hidden camera sensor. Apple’s messaging seems to be quite aware that this came with quality trade-offs, so it’s only referred as a FaceTime camera, while high-quality selfies is done through the rear cameras instead.
New Custom iOS 27 UI
Unlike many foldables from the Android camp that simply adopts tablet-style UI into foldable formats, Apple’s iOS 27 has taken an entirely different approach. With iPhone Duo’s cover display camera moved to the corner, Apple has consolidated the entire status bar – previously revolving around the Dynamic Island cutout – and moved it under the camera. The previous battery, cellular and Wi-Fi status icons are now merged into one (Wi-Fi in the middle, dots represent cellular signal strength, and ring is battery level), with the clock now sitting above the combo status indicator.
Navigation has been reworked to better fit the larger screens: what used to at the bottom of the screen now moves to the right side, ranging from home screen dock to tabs in the app; multitasking features like Split View allows two apps to run side by side, and apps can be switched as if the user is operating two separate phones (each half will feature their own Home Bar), or paired together when switching between apps. StandBy mode now works without charging, too, which is applicable on either displays.
Apple A20 Pro Chipset
Apple said the A20 Pro chip – which also powers the iPhone 18 Pro series – delivers up to 35% better sustained performance compared with the iPhone 17 Pro, supported by a new display engine that manages both screens simultaneously. The device includes a dual-battery setup, offering up to 31 hours of video playback on the inner display, up to 44 hours on the outer display, or up to 24 hours with balanced use of both. Fast charging allows up to 50% charge in around 20 minutes over a wired connection, or around 30 minutes wirelessly.
To save internal space for battery and other components, Apple says iPhone Duo uses an eSIM-only design worldwide and includes Apple’s N1 wireless chip for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread connectivity, along with the C2 cellular modem, which now supports mmWave in the United States.
Pricing & Availability
The iPhone Duo is available in Star White and Night Sky colorways, starting at US$1,999 / RM9,499 for the 256GB model, with 512GB (US$2,199 / RM10,499), 1TB (US$2,599 / RM12,499) and 2TB (US$3,199 / RM15,499) storage options also available. Pre-orders begin on Friday, 16 October at 5:00am PT (16 October, 8:00pm MYT), with availability starting Friday, 23 October in more than 70 countries and regions, including Malaysia. The device will reach an additional 28 countries and regions from Friday, 30 October.
Accompanying accessories include the iPhone Duo Case, priced at US$79, and the iPhone Duo Folio with Kickstand, priced at US$129, both available to order from 16 October. The device runs on iOS 27.1, with Apple Intelligence rolling out from Monday, 14 September, and Siri AI launching in beta the same day for English-language users, with additional language support expected in October.
Pokdepinion: The sideways UI is something I expect Android smartphone makers to pickup in no time. It’s been a while since I see proper UI innovation these days.
