Apple has officially launched the iPhone Duo, its first foldable iPhone, with chief executive John Ternus calling it “the most transformational change to iPhone since the original.” Pre-orders open on 16th October, with the device landing in shops on 23 October across more than 70 countries, including the UK.
The Duo opens to a 7.6-inch inner Super Retina XDR display, which Apple says is 50 per cent larger than the iPhone 18 Pro Max and folds closed to a 5.4-inch outer display covering 90 per cent of the screen area of the iPhone 18 Pro. Both displays share the same aspect ratio, so content scales proportionally between them. A nano-texture finish on the inner display reduces glare and crease visibility and the hinge is engineered from more than 100 components for a smooth, consistent action.
Performance comes courtesy of the A20 Pro chip, the same silicon found in the iPhone 18 Pro range, supported by a custom vapour chamber and dual-battery architecture. Apple claims up to 35 per cent better sustained performance than the iPhone 17 Pro, with battery life rated at up to 44 hours of video playback on the outer display and 31 hours on the inner.
The camera system pairs a 48MP Fusion main camera with zero shutter lag and a 48MP ultra-wide that supports macro photography. The folding form factor enables new shooting modes including Smart Take, which uses on-device AI to capture photos automatically when subjects are posing and Duo Preview, which mirrors a live viewfinder on the outer display so subjects can frame themselves without being directed. A FaceTime camera is concealed beneath the inner display when not in use.
iOS 27 has been redesigned around the dual-display layout, with navigation controls repositioned to the sides to maximise vertical content space. Split View arrives on iPhone for the first time, letting two apps run side by side on the larger inner screen. StandBy mode now activates on either display without the device needing to be plugged in.
Siri AI, a substantially rebuilt version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence, is rolling out in beta alongside iOS 27, gaining personal context awareness, onscreen understanding and conversational history synced privately via iCloud.
iPhone Duo is available in star white and night sky, built from grade 5 titanium with an IP68 water resistance rating. US pricing starts at $1,999. UK pricing was not confirmed in the announcement.
