Cupertino (GNP): Apple unveiled its first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, on Wednesday, marking the first major product launch under new chief executive John Ternus. The $1,999 device represents an important test for Apple as it enters a foldable smartphone market already occupied by Samsung and Chinese rivals Huawei and Xiaomi.
Wednesday’s event was the first under Ternus, 51, who succeeded Tim Cook on September 1 after more than two decades at Apple, placing the foldable launch squarely at the start of his tenure as a signal of the company’s direction under new leadership.
Roughly the size of a passport when folded, the iPhone Duo combines a conventional smartphone with a larger tablet-like display. It features a full external screen when closed, a larger internal display when opened and multiple camera lenses, with Apple saying it had reduced the visible crease running through the folding screen, a longstanding criticism levelled at foldable devices industry-wide. The Duo starts at $1,999, slightly above Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold8, positioning Apple at the premium end of the category it is now entering.
Alongside the Duo, Apple introduced the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, priced at $1,199 and $1,299 respectively, each $100 more expensive than their predecessors at launch and featuring an upgraded camera system that allows users to adjust lens aperture. No standard iPhone 18 was announced, narrowing this year’s lineup around the Pro models and the new foldable device.
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Apple’s entry comes seven years after Samsung introduced its Galaxy Fold in 2019, and arrives amid intensifying competition in the category. Huawei this week unveiled its three-panel Mate XT 2 for around $2,800, while Xiaomi introduced the 18 Fold at approximately $1,540. Foldables still account for less than two per cent of global smartphone shipments, but research firm IDC expects Apple to capture about one-third of demand following its entry into the segment.
The launch comes as the artificial intelligence boom increases demand for advanced chips, contributing to component shortages and higher electronics prices across the industry. Apple also announced updated AirPods and smartwatches featuring improved heart-rate sensors, rounding out a product event centred on the company’s first foldable device.
