iPhone Duo: Price, Release Date, 7.6-Inch Display, Cameras and Key Specs of Apple’s First Foldable and Everything to Know

Apple has entered the foldable smartphone market with the iPhone Duo, its first iPhone featuring a flexible display. Unveiled on Wednesday, the book-style device combines an outer screen with a larger panel inside. It starts at $1,999 in the United States, with preorders opening Oct. 16 and sales beginning Oct. 23 for US customers.

The Duo folds into a compact form with a 5.4-inch cover display and opens to a 7.6-inch Super Retina XDR inner screen. Both support ProMotion and always-on functionality, while the larger display is designed for multitasking, reading, browsing and video. Apple has also refined the hinge and screen construction with attention to durability and everyday usability.

Price and Release Date

The iPhone Duo starts at $1,999 in the US for the 256GB model. Apple is also offering higher-capacity versions, with storage going up to 2TB. In India, the starting price is Rs 2,99,900, making it one of Apple’s most expensive smartphones to date. Preorders open October 16, while the phone will officially reach stores on October 23.

The price puts the Duo firmly in the ultra-premium category and means Apple is not trying to compete with conventional flagship phones on cost. Instead, the company is positioning the device as a new type of iPhone aimed at customers who want a larger workspace without carrying a separate tablet.

7.6-Inch Display and Foldable Design

The main attraction is the 7.6-inch inner display. When folded, the device uses its 5.4-inch outer screen for everyday tasks, while opening it provides a significantly larger canvas for apps and media.

The inner panel uses a 4:3 aspect ratio, which Apple says makes it particularly suitable for reading, browsing and multitasking. The display also has a nano-texture treatment designed to reduce glare and make the fold less prominent. A scratch-resistant coating is included as part of the display construction.

Apple has built the Duo around a reinforced titanium frame and given it an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. The phone comes in Star White and Night Sky finishes.

Multitasking and Apple Pencil support

Apple is using the larger screen to offer features that are difficult to replicate on a conventional smartphone. The Duo supports Split View, allowing users to work with multiple apps or keep video playing while using another application.

The phone can also be used partially folded or in different orientations, with iOS adapting the interface accordingly. Apple Pencil support is another major addition and is scheduled to arrive later this year. That could make the Duo more appealing to professionals, students and creative users who want a larger screen for notes and other tasks.

Apple CEO John Ternus highlighted the reasoning behind the design during the launch, saying, “For a device that plays such a central role in your life, a larger display would open up entirely new possibilities.”

Cameras

The iPhone Duo features a dual-camera system on the rear, with two 48MP sensors. One of the cameras uses an ultrawide sensor derived from the iPhone 18 Pro, while Apple has opted not to include a dedicated telephoto camera.

The inner display houses an under-display camera, allowing Apple to avoid a conventional camera cutout on the larger screen. This keeps the panel cleaner and gives users more uninterrupted space when watching content or working with apps.

A20 Pro Chip and Performance

Powering the iPhone Duo is Apple’s new A20 Pro chip, paired with the company’s C2 modem. The hardware is designed to handle demanding applications, multitasking and Apple’s growing collection of on-device artificial intelligence features. The phone runs iOS 27, which has been adapted to take advantage of the foldable form factor.

Apple has also used a dual-battery arrangement inside the foldable chassis. The approach allows the company to make better use of the limited space created by the folding mechanism while supporting the larger display and demanding workloads.

Touch ID replaces Face ID

One of the biggest changes is not related to the display at all. Apple has moved away from Face ID on the Duo and integrated Touch ID into the side button.

The fingerprint sensor allows users to unlock the device and authenticate securely without requiring the face-recognition hardware used on recent iPhones. Apple has also designed the phone with speakers at the top and bottom to provide spatial audio when consuming media.

Why the iPhone Duo Matters

Apple is entering the foldable market several years after rivals such as Samsung, Google and Huawei established their own devices. That makes the Duo less about creating an entirely new category and more about Apple’s attempt to redefine an existing one around its hardware and software ecosystem.

The company is betting that a familiar iPhone experience, combined with a much larger display, can persuade customers to accept the $1,999 starting price. The Duo also allows Apple to bring features traditionally associated with tablets, such as expanded multitasking and stylus support, into a pocketable device.

The launch is particularly significant because it comes under new CEO John Ternus, who took over from Tim Cook on September 1. The foldable iPhone is therefore not only a major new product for Apple but also one of the first major signals of the company’s direction under its new leadership.

For consumers, the biggest question now is whether Apple’s approach can make foldable phones feel less like an experimental premium category and more like the next natural evolution of the iPhone.