Apple Just Announced Its First Foldable iPhone
iPhone Duo folds in half, packing the largest iPhone display ever into a pocketable design with a dual-battery system.
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iPhone Duo
iPhone Duo Folds Open Into the Largest iPhone Screen Ever
Apple calls its newest phone the first foldable
iPhone, and it's called iPhone Duo. Pre-orders start October 16, 2026, with the
phone reaching stores on October 23. When it's open, Apple says it has the
largest iPhone display ever made, 50 percent bigger than the iPhone 18 Pro Max.
Even folded shut, its outer screen covers more than 90 percent of the screen
area on a regular iPhone 18 Pro. It runs on the same A20 Pro chip found in
Apple's other new phones.
A Hinge Built for Long-Term Reliability
The frame and hinge cover are made from Grade 5
titanium. Apple says the hinge is designed to open and close with smooth, even
resistance so it keeps working reliably over time. The phone is rated IP68 for
water and dust resistance. Both the front and back are covered in Ceramic
Shield, and the inner screen has a scratch-resistant coating on top. To
minimize the crease from showing where the screen folds, Apple uses special
clear adhesive layers inside the screen that let it bend smoothly.
A Screen That Barely Shows Its Camera
The inner screen measures 7.6 inches, and the
outer screen measures 5.4 inches. Both keep the same width-to-height shape, so
content fills the screen no matter which one is in use. Apple built the inner
screen from 10 extremely thin layers, with a textured surface finish designed
to cut down glare. The front camera used for video calls sits hidden underneath
the inner screen itself, invisible until it's actually being used. Both screens
reach up to 3000 nits of brightness and support a smooth 120Hz refresh rate.
Camera Tricks Only Possible With Two Screens
iPhone Duo has a 48MP Dual Fusion camera system
on the back, plus a 12MP front camera. Because it has two screens, Apple built
some camera features that only make sense on a folding phone. Smart Take waits
until it detects everyone in a group photo is ready, then takes the picture
automatically, so nobody has to race a countdown timer. Duo Preview shows the
person being photographed a live view of the shot on the outer screen, so they
can check their own pose. Kid Cue plays a small animation on the outer screen
to catch a child's attention and get them looking at the camera. Duo FaceTime
lets a friend standing nearby join a video call just by looking at the outer
screen, without needing to pass the phone around.
Two Batteries, One All-Day Charge
iPhone Duo is the first iPhone built with two
separate batteries working together instead of one. Apple says this setup,
combined with a design that only supports eSIM instead of a physical SIM card,
frees up more internal space for battery capacity. On a single charge, Apple
states it plays up to 31 hours of video using the inner screen, or up to 44
hours using the smaller outer screen. A fast charger can restore up to 50
percent of the battery in about 20 minutes. The phone also supports several
different physical positions: standing upright in a V-shape for hands-free
video calls, lying flat like a small laptop for typing, or propped up to watch
a show, with the software adjusting to whichever position it's in.
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