The iPhone Duo is the first foldable smartphone developed and marketed by Apple. The device was announced during an Apple event at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, on September 9, 2026, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max and will be released on October 23, 2026.
History
Development
Apple Inc. began filing patents for a foldable iPhone display as early as 2011; a patent for a gesture-controlled flexible display was awarded in January 2015.
In November 2016, Apple received patents for iPhones that could fold into a book shape and a clamshell shape. In October 2017, The Bell reported that Apple was working on a foldable display with LG Display with production expected to begin in 2020; Bank of America corroborated that report in March 2018.
In 2020, then-Apple CEO Tim Cook became convinced that Apple needed to enter the foldable phone market after witnessing their growing popularity in Asian consumers using devices from Samsung and Huawei.
In December 2024, analyst Ross Young reported that Apple would debut a foldable iPhone in the second half of 2026. Early rumors of the foldable iPhone suggested that it could be between 7.9 and 8.3 inches (20 and 21 cm) in size with a clamshell design. In January 2025, the phone remained in early planning, with reports saying it would only support eSIMs, as would Apple's upcoming iPhone Air, which was also in development. In February 2025, Apple began choosing suppliers for ultra-thin display glass, while details about display sizes and creases began to surface. Samsung was reported to be the supplier of the OLED display for the phone, with Apple focusing on a 2026 release. By March, early reports suggested a book-style design with a 7.8-inch inner display and a 5.5-inch outer display. Soon after, the first signs of the phone's existence surfaced in the "new product introduction" phase at Foxconn.
The phone was initially presumed to be called the "iPhone Fold" because of its OLED folding display. Reports in April 2026 suggested that it would instead be named the "iPhone Ultra". In July 2026, references to the phone were discovered in beta releases of iOS 27.
Early hands-on impressions of the phone appeared in August 2026; early motherboard photos for the phone surfaced soon after.
Production
Production details began to surface in June. In early July, Apple reportedly placed orders for 10 million of the foldable iPhones, and mass production of the phone and other components began shortly after. Multiple reports suggested that the foldable iPhone suffered early production hurdles and final mass-production adjustments, and in September 2026, reports confirmed that foldable iPhone production was ramping up slowly with only a few hundred units a day by late August.
After the announcement, the 2026 production target was 6–8 million units; production issues came as yield rates were only about 60%, and other suppliers, such as Samsung Display, were also struggling with output. Several suppliers told Apple to decide whether to prioritize production or yield rates.
Unveiling and release
Apple CEO John Ternus unveiled the iPhone Duo on September 9, 2026. It is scheduled for release on October 23, 2026, in about 70 countries and regions, with preorders beginning October 16, 2026. It is scheduled to launch in 28 additional countries and regions on October 30, 2026. On October 16, 2026, Apple said the demand for the iPhone Duo was "nothing short of extraordinary" after seeing shipping estimates slip to early 2027 within minutes of opening pre-orders.
Design
The iPhone Duo features a titanium frame and two displays. When closed, the device's external display allows it to be used as a conventional smartphone. When opened, the foldable internal display provides a larger workspace, similar to that of an iPad Mini. The phone uses Ceramic Shield 2 protection on the front of the display and Ceramic Shield on the back of the device, and has an IP68 dust and water resistance rating. The foldable display can be used in different positions, and iOS adapts the interface depending on whether the display is fully open, partially folded, or closed. The side button has Touch ID for authentication.
The iPhone Duo comes in Night Sky and Star White colors.
Specifications
Chipset
The iPhone Duo uses the Apple A20 Pro system-on-chip. The chip is manufactured using a 2 nm process and is paired with a vapor-chamber cooling system. According to Apple, the A20 Pro provides increased performance and efficiency for graphics processing, artificial intelligence, and other workloads.
Display
The Duo design features a 5.4-inch outer display and a 7.6-inch inner display when unfolded. The device uses a book-style folding design, with the inner display providing a larger viewing area when the device is opened. The two displays have a consistent aspect ratio of 1.41:1, allowing content to transition between the folded and unfolded configurations. When unfolded, it features the largest display in an iPhone to date.
Both displays support ProMotion and have an outdoor peak brightness of up to 3,000 nits. The inside display incorporates a camera beneath the screen and a replaceable nano-texture coating to minimize creases and reflections.
Camera
Video can be captured in up to 4K at 120 fps. An under-screen camera in the inner display was developed for FaceTime video calls, allowing for multi-camera use during calls.
Camera features include "Smart Take", which takes photos automatically when a certain pose is detected, and "Kid Cue", a feature that displays animations on the outer screen to attract kids' attention.
Connectivity
The iPhone Duo uses Apple's C2 cellular modem. The device also includes Apple's N1 wireless networking chip, which supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread.
Battery
The iPhone Duo uses a dual-battery system designed around its folding form factor. Apple states that the device provides up to 24 hours of battery life with mixed use of the two displays. The battery can charge to 50 percent in approximately 20 minutes using a compatible fast charger.
Software
The iPhone Duo will be shipped with iOS 27.1 on release.
To accommodate the iPhone Duo's folding form factor, Apple made changes to the user interface, with elements inspired by the iPad. Side-by-side multitasking, which was previously exclusive to the iPad, was brought over to the iPhone Duo, making it possible to run multiple apps at once. The dock, status icons, and app controls are moved to the right side of the phone to maximize vertical screen real estate. The software adapts to the orientation and the hinge angle, such as displaying a keyboard on one of the screens when it is partially folded and is sitting flat, or entering standby mode when the device is set down, even when it is not charging, with faces designed for the iPhone Duo.
The iOS 27.1 software development kit includes APIs for apps to adapt to the iPhone Duo's form factor. Apps that are not built with the iOS 27 SDK nor optimized for the iPhone Duo will have a blank space on the right side of the screen which houses the status icons.
iPhone Duo devices bought from American Apple Stores can be customized to display the buyer's name on first boot.
Accessories
The iPhone Duo will support the Apple Pencil (USB-C), although not at launch. It is the first iPhone to support the Apple Pencil, contrary to Steve Jobs' rejection of styluses on smartphones 19 years earlier.
