Apple has unveiled the iPhone Duo, its first foldable smartphone, marking the most significant iPhone design change in nearly 20 years and the most expensive iPhone ever released.
Prices in the United States start at $1,999 and can reach up to $3,200. In the United Kingdom, the device starts at £1,999. The iPhone Duo is set to go on sale on October 23.
The device features a 7.6-inch display and is described as passport-shaped. When unfolded, it resembles a small iPad; when folded, it looks like a wider iPhone.
Apple CEO John Ternus, who took over from long-time chief executive Tim Cook this month, led the announcement at Apple's California headquarters. The device took eight years to develop, a project Ternus was directly involved in during his years as a senior executive in Apple's hardware division.
"It's entirely new and at the same time remarkably familiar," Ternus said. "A similar size to your passport, it feels familiar to hold and comfortable to use with one hand."
Ternus also addressed competitors directly, saying: "Others have created foldables that just feel like two phones awkwardly stuck together," and claimed the iPhone Duo would "redefine the experience of using a foldable phone."
Apple enters the foldable market later than rivals such as Samsung and Huawei. Foldable smartphones currently account for only 2 percent of total global smartphone sales. Even with Apple's entry expected to drive demand, analysts project foldables will reach only 4 percent of the total market within the next decade.
"The real fight is China, where Huawei owns nearly 80% of foldables," said Francisco Jeronimo, vice president for data and analytics at IDC EMEA.
Analysts offered mixed assessments of the launch. Dipanjan Chatterjee of Forrester warned that "the foldable risks becoming a premium-priced ornament in the portfolio, imparting badge value but not meaningful growth." He drew a comparison to Apple's Vision Pro headset, priced at $3,699, which has not performed strongly with consumers.
Chatterjee also suggested the device could follow a more positive path, likening it to the Apple Watch, which, while less dominant than the iPhone, sells to millions of customers annually.
Carolina Milanesi, an analyst at Creative Strategies who attended Wednesday's presentation, said the emphasis placed on Ternus during the event made it feel "almost like he was a product himself." Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight, said Ternus's promotion appeared timed "to coincide with what will be arguably one of the biggest iPhone launches for many years," adding: "Nothing happens by accident at Apple."
Analysts also flagged the learning curve associated with foldable devices as a potential barrier to mass adoption. "A lot of people are intrigued by it, but the software and the learning curve that you have from moving from a traditional phone to a foldable is real," Milanesi said.
Previously, the highest starting price for a new iPhone model was $900. Apple also announced the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max at the same event, starting at $1,199 and $1,299 respectively in the United States.
The iPhone currently accounts for more than half of Apple's annual revenue and remains the company's top-selling product.
Alongside the hardware announcements, Apple provided further details on the relaunch of its voice and chat assistant, now called Siri AI. Beginning with the iPhone 18, Siri AI will be able to access information across a user's device, including messages and emails, to answer queries and take action on the user's behalf.
Ternus described the new AI capabilities as an "intelligent personal hub" and acknowledged that the system would make use of "the most private details of your daily life." He said AI features would frequently run on-device, without relying on third-party services, and that privacy would be maintained when external services are required.
Some Siri AI features will also be available on the new Apple Watch, including the ability to record and transcribe conversations when enabled by the user.
