Apple Unveils Its Largest, Most Expensive Phone — a Foldable
Thursday, 2026/09/10215 words3 minutes317 reads
Apple has revealed the iPhone Duo, its first foldable iPhone, at a product event. The book-style device opens into a screen resembling a small iPad and folds into a wider iPhone. Apple says it aims to avoid the feeling of two phones joined together.
The Duo starts at $1,999 in the United States, rising to $3,200 for higher-priced versions. That makes it Apple's largest and most expensive iPhone. The launch is a design shift for the iPhone, whose form has changed little since 2007. Ternus said the folding functions were inspired by the iPad and intended to feel natural.
The market, however, is unproven for Apple. Samsung and Huawei already sell foldables, but the report cites an estimate from FDM CCS Insight that foldable phones currently account for only 2% of smartphone sales. The firm expects the share to reach 4% over the next decade, even if Apple increases interest. Those figures are an estimate, not a guarantee of demand for the Duo.
Analysts also see practical obstacles. A $1,999 phone needs to persuade customers that its larger screen changes daily use enough to justify the price. Carolina Milanesi of Creative Strategies noted that switching from a traditional phone involves a learning curve. It remains uncertain whether the Duo will create meaningful growth for Apple.
