Apple has entered the foldable smartphone race with the launch of its first folding iPhone, the US$1,999 (about RM8,136) iPhone Duo, in a move that could shake up a market dominated by Samsung and Chinese smartphone makers.
Unveiled on Wednesday, the Duo marks the biggest redesign of Apple’s flagship smartphone since the iPhone X was introduced in 2017. The launch was also the first major iPhone event led by new Apple CEO John Ternus.
Designed to resemble a passport, the Duo features rounded edges and unfolds into a 7.6-inch display that can be viewed horizontally or vertically. When folded, users can access a smaller screen on the front.
Apple said the Duo is its thinnest iPhone when fully opened, although it is still thicker than some foldable smartphones offered by Chinese rivals.
Ternus criticised existing foldable phones as awkward and poorly suited for everyday activities such as scrolling and watching videos. He said Apple’s custom hinge, dual displays with a consistent aspect ratio and new titanium body were designed to provide an iPad-like experience in a pocket-sized device.
“It’s entirely new and at the same time remarkably familiar. A similar size to your passport, it feels familiar to hold and comfortable to use with one hand,” Ternus said.
Apple is positioning the Duo as a productivity-focused device, demonstrating features such as multiple app windows and wider views for applications including Zoom and Slack.
The iPhone Duo will be available from Oct 23 and will be powered by Apple’s A20 Pro chip. It will also feature the company’s new C2 modem, as Apple continues efforts to reduce its reliance on Qualcomm’s wireless data chips.
The company said the battery can support up to 24 hours of mixed dual-screen use and can charge to 50% in about 20 minutes.
Analysts expect strong demand for Apple’s first foldable iPhone. International Data Corporation expects Apple could capture about 40% of the foldable smartphone market by the end of next year, with demand potentially exceeding the number of devices the company can produce.
IDC EMEA vice-president for Data and Analytics, Devices, Francisco Jeronimo, said Apple had entered the foldable market years after its rivals but could quickly establish the benchmark for the category.
“The real fight is China, where Huawei owns nearly 80% of foldables. Apple has just given Chinese buyers a reason to look up,” he said.
Apple’s launch also drew playful reactions from rivals and other technology companies.
Duolingo, whose green owl mascot is named Duo, posted on X: “We infringed upon,” accompanied by laughing-crying emojis. Samsung Mobile US responded: “They copied us, too.”
Apple also placed a strong emphasis on privacy and artificial intelligence, with Ternus describing the iPhone platform as a personal AI hub.
He said Apple Intelligence would run on-device whenever possible, arguing that this would give users greater control over their personal data.
Apple executive Lilian Rincon, who joined the company from Google earlier this year, also showcased an updated Siri assistant.
Alongside the Duo, Apple introduced the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, priced from US$1,199 (about RM4,879) and US$1,299 (about RM5,285) respectively.
Both models are US$100 more expensive than the starting prices of the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Apple also unveiled a new AirPods model starting at US$129 (about RM525), featuring noise cancellation for the first time in its budget line of earbuds.
The company also introduced the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4, which come with new health and fitness features, including improvements to recovery monitoring and heart-rate tracking.
Apple unveiled “Apple Reference Image”, a new feature aimed at helping establish the authenticity of images captured using the iPhone 18 Pro cameras. The devices will also support SynthID, an emerging standard designed to identify images created or edited using AI.
However, Apple Reference Image will not be available in the European Union or China.
Apple shares closed 0.3% lower at US$315.34 on Wednesday following the presentation.
Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra also attended the launch, an unusual move given that Apple rarely gives suppliers a prominent role at its product events.
The appearance comes as demand for high-performance memory grows alongside Apple’s expanding AI capabilities, increasing the strategic importance of suppliers such as Micron amid a global shortage of memory chips.
