Apple unveils first foldable, iPhone Duo, at $1,999
CUPERTINO: Apple saved the best for last at its biggest launch event of the year Wednesday, unveiling the foldable iPhone Duo alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, AirPods 5 and Apple Watch Series 12.
CEO John Ternus made his event debut, introducing the iPhone 18 Pro, AirPods 5 and Apple Watch Series 12 before revealing the Duo, the company’s first foldable iPhone.
“For a device that plays such a central role in your life, a larger display would open up entirely new possibilities,” Ternus said. “We think the best way to achieve that is with a foldable design.”
He said competing foll like “two phones awkwardly stuck together.”
Pricing and availability
The Duo starts at $1,999 and will hit store shelves Oct. 23. Apple’s marketing chief, Joswiak, said the outer display covers 90% of the screen area of the iPhone 18 Pro, while the inner display measures 7.6 inches. The device is about the size of a passport and uses a fingerprint sensor built into the side button for unlocking. Its case is made of titanium.
The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max carry a $100 price increase over last year’s models. Apple also raised prices on Macs and iPads over the summer as memory and storage costs soared.
The iPhone 18 comes in glacier and burgundy, following last year’s Cosmic Orange colorway.
New C2 modem
Apple unveiled the C2 modem, which will power connectivity inside the Duo. It is the second-generation modem Apple has built in-house, further reducing reliance on cellular modem leader Qualcomm.
“With our fully integrated approach, it’s optimized to improve everyday user experiences, including using AI algorithms to improve cellular reliability, like reconnecting faster in low coverage areas,” said Johny Srouji, Apple’s chief hardware officer, in the keynote video.
According to Srouji, the C2 is 50% faster than Apple’s previous modem, adds 5Gmm support in the U.S. and runs at 15% lower energy. Chip analyst Ben Bajarin told CNBC that Apple will likely eliminate Qualcomm chips altogether in next year’s iPhone 19 line.
Software redesign
Craig Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering, said Apple redesigned much of its iOS software to take advantage of the two screens, moving buttons and other controls. Users can multitask with two apps simultaneously and use Apple’s stylus, the Pencil.
“We looked at every aspect of iOS to see how we could make it even more useful on iPhone Duo,” Federighi said.
Market reaction
The new introductions, including Siri AI and the iPhone Duo, failed to impress markets. For nearly the entire 80-minute presentation, Apple’s stock price was down. It opened at $315.49, briefly popped to $318 and then quickly dropped.
Apple said the Duo’s $1,999 price is in line with competitors and lower than much of what Wall Street was expecting.