Gurman: Apple plans ‘iPhone Duo Max’ foldable

Apple ↗ 1.75% unveiled the iPhone Duo on September 9 at its "Surprise and Shine" event in Cupertino, California, marking the company's long-awaited entry into the foldable smartphone market. The device starts at $1,999 for 256GB of storage, with preorders opening October 16 and general availability beginning October 23.macrumors+2

A Foldable Built From Scratch

The iPhone Duo features a 5.4-inch cover display and a 7.6-inch foldable inner screen with a matte, nano-texture finish designed to reduce reflections and minimize crease visibility. When fully open, Apple says the device is the thinnest iPhone ever made. Powered by the same A20 Pro chip found in the iPhone 18 Pro lineup, the Duo supports up to 44 hours of video playback on the outer screen and 24 hours of mixed dual-screen use.macrumors+2

The device comes in two colors — star white and night sky — with storage options ranging up to 2TB at $3,199. Apple executives have described it as a separate branch of the iPhone lineup rather than a folding version of the iPhone 18 Pro, noting deliberate tradeoffs: the Duo uses Touch ID instead of Face ID and lacks a dedicated telephoto camera. It does, however, carry an IP68 dust and water resistance rating, a rarity among foldables.cnet+3

Market Impact

Research firm TrendForce estimates Apple could ship roughly five million iPhone Duo units in 2026, capturing 24.8% of the foldable smartphone market and becoming the second-largest foldable brand behind Samsung. That projection comes as the broader foldable segment faces a 20% slump.trendforce+1

The Duo's closest competitor is Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, which starts at $2,100 and offers a larger 8-inch inner display and a triple rear-camera system but lacks the iPhone Duo's dust resistance. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has reported that Apple is already considering expanding the foldable line with an "iPhone Duo Max" featuring a bigger display.cnet+1

What Comes Next

Apple will begin taking preorders on October 16 at 5 a.m. Pacific Time, with the device launching in the United States and more than 70 countries on October 23, followed by 28 additional markets on October 30. As Gurman wrote in his latest newsletter, he expects the iPhone Duo to become the "predominant foldable phone on the market," arguing the device is "so impressive" that it will "turn foldables into the new normal".macrumors+1