Apple Unveils Its First Foldable Smartphone, the iPhone Duo, Alongside New AirPods and iPhone 18 Pro

Apple introduced the iPhone Duo, its first foldable smartphone, during a keenly awaited event at the company's headquarters in Cupertino, California, on Wednesday. "This is a thoughtful design that only Apple can provide," Apple's new chief executive John Ternus said upon introducing the iPhone Duo. "The other products out there just look like two phones glued together side by side," he said, critiquing competitors. He added that iPhone Duo, by paying attention to hinge design and other details, was similar to the iPad experience.

Apple said the Duo, when unfolded, was the largest iPhone screen ever. It is available in two colours, star white and night sky. During a video showing the iPhone Duo's design, Apple said that when the device is opened, it's the thinnest iPhone ever. Apple says that the Duo will also be available in dark blue and white. This is not the first product in Apple's history to be named "Duo". From 1992 to 1997, the company had a line of Duo laptops which, at the time, were considerably lighter than other portables.

A few hours before Apple unveiled the iPhone Duo, attendees at the Billington Cybersecurity Summit in Washington were contemplating whether they were interested in a foldable smartphone from Apple. "I upgrade every year, and it sounds awesome, but at $2,000 I just don't know," said Eric, a cyber security vendor at the conference. Eric said that because of the nature of his work, he regularly uses both iPhone and Android devices, which he said also makes him less likely to take the plunge and buy a first-generation Apple foldable iPhone. He also said that despite foldable smartphones growing in popularity, the foldable design has never been something he has coveted. "I was an OG T-Mobile Sidekick user," he said, referring to a relatively popular pre-iPhone device that had a folding form factor, from 2002 to 2010.

Amy, another cyber security vendor in attendance at Billington, said that she is perfectly happy with her current iPhone and is more intrigued by the possibilities of other Apple products. "I'm really excited about the new AirPods," she said, referring to recent reports speculating that Apple may introduce a new version of its popular in-ear headphones containing enhanced sensors and cameras. "There's a lot of parity with all these new smartphones now," she said, adding that even her children weren't as excited as they used to be.

Apple did indeed introduce new AirPods, but didn't release the version the company accidentally leaked via video in August, which had integrated cameras and artificial intelligence. Dave Pakula, a member of Apple's product design division, introduced the company's AirPods 5, which he said contains a more durable design, enhanced sound capabilities, and improved noise cancellation. Prices for AirPods 5 range from $129 to $149.

As for the iPhone Duo, despite foldables just being a small sector of the overall smartphone pie, analysts say there will be plenty of demand for Apple's iPhone Duo, and in turn, that demand will fuel foldable smartphone growth overall. Counterpoint Research's most recent forecast report said global foldable smartphone shipments are expected to hit a major milestone in 2026, "with total lifetime units set to surpass 100 million by the end of the year". Apple's penchant for innovation and the growing desire from consumers for foldables could mean that the company ships "up to six million foldable iPhones" this year, which Counterpoint Research says could give it a 25 per cent market share in the foldable market, behind the industry leader Samsung.

Apple also announced an iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max with improved CPUs, GPUs, and displays. The company indicated that its much-anticipated and previously delayed Siri AI was almost ready to go, and available to many in beta form. Rich Dinh, Apple's head of iPhone product design, boasted of the 18 Pro's significantly improved battery life. He said that iPhone 18 Pro could last as long as 36 hours on a single charge, and 18 Pro Max could last 45 hours under ideal circumstances. As for camera features on iPhone 18, Apple marketing chief Kaiann Drance said the company's engineers had been hard at work to ensure the 18 Pro's camera would deliver the "biggest camera improvements in years." She said that all that work has come to fruition in the form of a "variable aperture with six blades" on the iPhone's main camera lens to give unprecedented quality.

To address concerns in recent months about AI-generated photos and authenticity, Apple said it would be adopting the SynthID standard to make it easier to identify content created with or enhanced by AI. iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are available for pre-order on Saturday, September 12, and Apple has indicated it could ship as soon as September 18. 18 Pro pricing starts at $1,199 and the 18 Pro Max starts at $1,299.

Apple also unveiled its Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 models that the company said contained improved sensors that will help users keep track of fitness data. In addition to the new watch models, Apple previewed a fitness-tracking app, Readiness, and a significantly improved Health app that takes advantage of AI to provide health data summaries. Apple's Siri will also have tighter integration within the watches. Similar to fitness wearable competitor devices offered by Whoop and Oura, Apple also indicated that the revised apps and watch features would provide something the company called a health age, based on data tracked by the watch.