• by Sarah Mahoney , Yesterday

 
Apple’s John Ternus may be new to the CEO role, but he's no stranger to the tech giant’s hype machine. And while the unveiling of the company’s new folding phone was long expected, he revealed plenty of surprises as he emceed the iPhone Duo launch event.

The “iPhone Duo is the most transformational change to iPhone since the original,” he said during the streaming event, describing the origin story of a phone that is roughly passport-sized when folded, with a screen slightly smaller than the iPhone 18 Pro. But when it opens, the screen is 7.6 inches, providing a large canvas for viewing content, gaming, and multitasking.

“Others have created foldables that just feel like two phones awkwardly stuck together,” he said. “This results in a square screen that's poorly suited for the way people use them, and scrolling through vertical content feels compromised.”

So the Duo is designed to “feel as natural and intuitive as iPad…we wanted it to feel uninterrupted.”

The new phone, priced from $1,999 to $3,199, will be available next month.

Apple also introduced the iPhone 18 Pro, priced at $1,199, and Pro Max at $1,299, with evolutionary upgrades. Observers expect much splashier redesigns for those models next year, when iPhone will celebrate its 20^th birthday.

The Duo looks very different: It has an asymmetric shape with two rounded corners and is the thinnest iPhone yet. The FaceTime camera fits discreetly behind the display, and the hinge precisely controls opening and closing.

The company also says the phone is built to last, crafted from grade 5 titanium and protected by ceramic shielding for scratch resistance. A major selling point is the 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide camera, also used on iPhone 18 Pro models, which captures wider fields of view and enables macro photography.

It comes equipped with Siri AI, the beta version of Siri rolling out with iOS 27. Ternus said several third-party apps, such as Netflix, Slack and Zoom, are already redesigning for the new format.

The company also unveiled significant Apple Watch upgrades, with the Series 12 and Ultra 4 getting an all-new health-sensing system. Among the upgrades: better skin contact for ECG readings, and such a significant improvement in continuous heart-rate data that Apple now claims the watch does the most accurate heart-rate sensing in a wearable.

While it’s too soon to say how well Apple’s foldable will do against others, it’s part of a growing -- albeit tiny -- market segment. Counterpoint, the tech research company, expects foldable phone sales to increase 20% this year. It says Apple’s launch is “expected to reshape the competitive landscape, with the company projected to capture a 28% share in 2026.”

Currently, Samsung, which has sold foldable phones for seven years, leads the market with a 40% share, which will fall to 31% as Apple dives in, the market research company predicts. Huawei, Motorola and Google also currently have foldables.

Initially, Counterpoint believes iPhone Duo will appeal to iPhone loyalists. “However, some Android users considering book-type foldables may also evaluate Apple’s upcoming device as an alternative, increasing the potential for ecosystem switching,” it notes.

William Kerwin, an analyst who follows Apple for Morningstar, is an instant fan, both of the new device and Ternus’ performance. “We like the Duo and expect it to be a low-volume, premium product,” he writes.  

Noting that this was Ternus’ first event as CEO, Kerwin appreciated his “immediate emphasis on AI, with Apple (primarily with iPhone) as the central device hub for personal AI. We believe Apple is doing well to carve out its niche in AI, focusing on device interaction and personalized services.”