Overview
- Apple unveiled the iPhone Duo at its Sept. 9 keynote, set the U.S. starting price at $1,999, opened preorders in mid‑September for other models and said the Duo will ship in late October.
- The Duo folds to reveal a roughly 7.6‑inch inner display, supports Apple Pencil input, offers split‑screen multitasking and returns Touch ID on the side button.
- Apple also introduced the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max with the new A20 Pro chip, camera and battery upgrades, and prices starting at $1,199 and $1,299 with retail availability Sept. 18.
- Executives and analysts tied the split launch plan to constrained supplies of advanced 2nm chips, DRAM/NAND shortages and packaging limits that raised costs and led Apple to prioritize higher‑margin models.
- Foldables remain a small part of the market today, but Apple’s entry could reshape the premium segment if it can scale production despite likely tight early Duo inventory and higher average selling prices.