Apple’s first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo, can be pre-ordered from Friday 16 October and goes on sale on Friday 23 October. In the UK it starts at £1,999, about £700 more than the iPhone 18 Pro Max, according to Macworld. Apple unveiled it on 9 September, and its chief executive, John Ternus, called it “the most transformational change to iPhone since the original”.
Here is what you get for the money, what you do not, and how it stacks up against its closest rival.
A wide foldable, not a tall one
The Duo opens like a book. Unfolded, it has a 7.6-inch inner screen that Apple says is 50% larger than the one on the iPhone 18 Pro Max. Closed, the outer screen measures 5.4 inches. Both share the same aspect ratio, and TechCrunch notes the shape is wider than on early foldables, and both have ProMotion adaptive refresh and up to 3,000 nits of outdoor brightness, Apple says.
Macworld gives the closed size as 84.1 x 117.8 x 11.3mm, which it calls unusually short and wide for an iPhone. Open, the phone is 5.2mm thick, and it weighs 254g.
The hinge uses more than 100 components and a magnet array, and the frame and hinge cover are grade 5 titanium. Apple says the front screen has Ceramic Shield 2 with three times the scratch resistance. The Duo carries an IP68 rating against water and dust, a step above the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s IP48, according to Engadget. Apple’s own footnote adds that this resistance is not permanent and can fade with wear.
What’s missing
The Duo has some notable gaps compared with Apple’s Pro phones:
- No Face ID. Security is Touch ID in the side button, which works folded or unfolded. You can also unlock it with an Apple Watch.
- No telephoto lens. There are two 48-megapixel cameras, a main and an ultra-wide. The 2x zoom is a 12-megapixel crop of the main sensor, according to Macworld.
- No physical SIM. It is eSIM only.
- No Apple Pencil yet. Support for Apple Pencil with USB-C is promised “later this year”, not at launch.
Chip, battery and software
Inside is the A20 Pro chip, built on a 2-nanometre process. Apple claims up to 35% better sustained performance than the iPhone 17 Pro. There is a battery on each side of the hinge. For video playback, Apple rates it at up to 31 hours on the inner screen and up to 44 hours on the outer one. These come from Apple’s own testing, so real-world results may differ.
The phone ships with iOS 27, which Apple has reworked for two screens. For the first time, two apps can run side by side on an iPhone, and you can open two windows of the same app. StandBy works on either screen. Siri AI arrives in beta in English, with other languages promised for October.
iPhone Duo vs Galaxy Z Fold 8
Engadget compared the Duo with Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8:
| iPhone Duo | Galaxy Z Fold 8 | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (US) | $1,999 | $1,900 |
| Inner screen | 7.6in, 120Hz | 7.6in, 120Hz |
| Water resistance | IP68 | IP48 |
| Rear cameras | 48MP + 48MP | 50MP + 50MP |
| Telephoto | None | None |
| Apps side by side | Two | Three |
| Chip | A20 Pro (2nm) | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3nm) |
Samsung’s phone, Engadget notes, adds a desktop-like mode with an external monitor and a third app on screen. The Duo’s edge is its water protection and Apple’s software. We have not checked the Fold 8’s UK price, so compare it with the Duo’s £1,999 before buying.
UK price and availability
Apple lists the Duo from £1,999, or £66.63 a month over 24 months. Macworld gives £2,199 for 512GB, £2,599 for 1TB and £3,199 for 2TB. The phone comes in star white and night sky. The Duo Case costs £79 and the Folio with Kickstand £129, and both can be ordered from 16 October.
Pre-orders open at 5am Pacific, which is 1pm UK time. The UK is in the first wave of more than 70 countries and regions that get the phone on 23 October.
Our view
This is a phone for people who specifically want a foldable and can afford it. Macworld calls it “enormously expensive” and says the iPhone 18 Pro Max is probably the better-value flagship, recommending the Duo only if you want the folding experience.
There is also a caution on supply. Macworld cites a late-September report, relayed by MacRumors, that production yields for the folding design are low. That is a claim about Apple’s supply chain, not something Apple has confirmed, but it could affect how easy the phone is to buy at launch.
We have not tested the Duo. The battery, durability and crease claims above are Apple’s, and we will update this article once independent reviews are in.
iPhone is a trademark of Apple Inc. Ctrl + Alt News is independent and is not sponsored or endorsed by Apple. Apple’s images are used for editorial purposes.
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