Apple announces the iPhone Duo, its first foldable iPhone
By Lisa Eadicicco, CNN
Cupertino, CA (CNN) — The iPhone is getting the biggest change in its nearly 20-year history: a screen that can bend in half.
Apple on Wednesday announced the iPhone Duo, the company’s first foldable smartphone, signaling a major revamp of the company’s most important product. It starts at $1,999 and launches on October 23.
Apple is hardly blazing a new path with the Duo. Phone makers like Samsung, Huawei and Motorola have been selling foldable phones for years, though such devices only account for a sliver of global smartphone sales. Apple’s entry into the market is expected to thrust foldable phones into the spotlight, potentially giving them mainstream appeal beyond their early-adopter audience.
The new device is about the size and shape of a passport, and Apple claims it’s the thinnest iPhone ever when the phone is unfolded.
Apple CEO John Ternus said at a company event that the iPhone Duo “will redefine the experience of using a foldable phone.”
The launch comes at a crucial moment for the world’s second most valuable company.
The iPhone is Apple’s most profitable product, generating more than half its revenue. But the device has largely remained the same over the past two decades, aside from gaining larger screens, better cameras and more advanced processors. Apple has faced pressure to launch a new hit product after recent efforts like the Apple Vision Pro headset and last year’s iPhone Air failed to resonate with consumers.
The iPhone Duo’s software is an important part of Apple’s approach; the company emphasized how the software will adjust its position depending on how the phone is being used. When the phone is partially folded, for example, it will automatically slide app content to either side of the screen. When it’s propped open and positioned like a tent, the phone can be used as a bedside clock.
Android phone makers like Samsung and Google have launched similar features for their foldable phones.
The Duo’s inside screen is 7.6 inches, which makes it 80% larger than the iPhone 18 Pro’s display. And users will be able to use multiple apps on the display at once.
You can also use both cameras at the same time during FaceTime calls, and the outer display can be used to preview shots.
The Duo’s nuances – including the way the software makes adjustments when the display folds in different positions – could be critical in Apple’s attempt to convince consumers that its newest device isn’t just an iPhone with more screen space.
That approach worked for the iPad and Apple Watch. Apple developed specific software and operating systems for its tablets and smartwatches that prevent them from feeling like enlarged or shrunken-down versions of the iPhone. Doing the same with the iPhone Duo will likely be key to its success.
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