Apple Unveils the iPhone Duo, Its First Foldable iPhone (cnn.com)
- Reference: 0185564544
- News link: https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/26/09/09/1821247/apple-unveils-the-iphone-duo-its-first-foldable-iphone
- Source link: https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/09/business/live-news/apple-event-foldable-iphone-ternus
Apple redesigned parts of iOS around the folding form factor. Users can run two apps side by side, launch two instances of the same app, save app pairings, and partially fold the phone to prop it up on a table without a stand. The interface automatically adapts as the device is opened, rotated or folded, while apps including Zoom and Slack are already being redesigned to take advantage of the larger canvas.
There are more than 100 components in its hinge, along with carbon-fiber support plates and a titanium layer beneath the folding display. Apple says the multilayer screen structure allows its components to move relative to one another while folding to reduce distortion over time. The phone is IP68 rated and uses Ceramic Shield on the rear and Ceramic Shield 2 on the exterior display.
As for battery life, Apple claims up to 31 hours of video playback using the inner display or 44 hours on the outer screen, although using both displays equally is rated for up to 24 hours per charge. Fast charging can bring the battery to roughly 50% in 20 minutes, though. The device is eSIM-only worldwide and includes Apple's new C2 modem, which the company says is up to 50% faster than the C1X while consuming up to 15% less power.
What about the camera system? There's a 48-megapixel ultrawide, along with cameras on both the inner and outer displays. Because the phone can stand partially folded on its own, Apple is pitching new shooting modes including hands-free 4K Dolby Vision HDR time lapses, dual-camera capture and an outer-screen preview that lets subjects see themselves while being photographed.
Developing...
[1] https://www.apple.com/iphone-duo/
Re: Lets get it out of the way (Score:2)
And bigger. Same with the Pixel foldable.
Mehh... this is niche at most (Score:2)
It's a move like Vision Pro... it will sell more than that, but I don't see this making a dent.
I just wish (Score:3)
I really don't care for the current tall, narrow phones that seem to be what everybody makes now. I would like a phone that has the aspect ratio of the folded iPhone Duo - the dimensions of the outside screen one uses when it's folded, in other words.
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The folded iphone duo is basically the size of a Mini 13, which is exactly what I use now. I want to be able to fold that. I hate big phones in my pocket.
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I had a 13 Mini before my current phone. Part of its appeal was the "mini" price. Screw paying some insane premium for a more compact device (which is what Apple did with the iPhone Air).
Also, someone on Reddit already said it so I can't take credit for it, but "It's called the iPhone Duo because it costs as much as two iPhones."
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I still have my 13 mini. I just looked at Apple Store and I couldn't find physical dimension or weight of the Duo. But from the picks of the model holding it, the Duo has fatter aspect ratio. And you have two of them in your pocket. So my prediction is that it is about 20% wider (than 13mini) so mass would be 1.2*2*(141 grams) = 340 grams. For comparison, 17 Pro is 205 grams (I have one of those and it is really chunky to me.) So my guesstimate is that Duo weighs about 60% more than 17 Pro.
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254 grams, so only 25% more and less than that compared to the 18 pro. its also only .44" thick closed which is only .1 more than the 18pro. It certainly sounds like an impressive piece of work but then it had better be fore what they are charging.
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They made a phone that doesn't fit in a pocket unless you wear cargo pants 24/7.
That's not what anyone asked for.
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> They made a phone that doesn't fit in a pocket unless you wear cargo pants 24/7.
From TFS:
> the device is roughly the size of a passport when closed
My actual passport fits in both the front and back pockets of my jeans. If it was thicker, like this phone, it would probably be a more difficult fit in the front pocket, where I usually carry my Pixel 5a - I never carry my phone in a back pocket.
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> I really don't care for the current tall, narrow phones that seem to be what everybody makes now.
Me neither. I'd like one like [1]this. [seekingalpha.com] But nobody seems to carry them. Baseball caps as well. I can't find one of those cool looking ones with the bill in the back.
[1] https://static.seekingalpha.com/cdn/s3/uploads/getty_images/1947466873/image_1947466873.jpg
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Well played, sir.
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Im a bit worried it might be too wide but I do like the idea of a smaller phone that expands into a fairly capable iPad mini. I never understood the Samsung obsession with the clamshell design, that doesn't give me much flexibility... and the tri-fold just seemed a bit too much when I saw it in person. I haven't seen a folding phone that had dimensions I could live with day to day.
Thanks, RAMageddon! (Score:3)
Two years ago I bought the iPhone 15 Pro after the usual $100 in-store price drop that happens after Apple announces their new models. I was planning on doing the same thing this cycle since it is finally paid off. Looks like the old Pro models just got discontinued without getting a price drop, because the entire iPhone lineup got a $100 price increase .
Jacking up the price of phones that have been out for over a year just feels... insulting.
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> Jacking up the price of phones that have been out for over a year just feels... insulting.
Yes but RAM shortage.
Re: Thanks, RAMageddon! (Score:2)
Yes, but record profit margins.
And let me guess (Score:3)
In one month we'll be reading about all these $2000.00 phones that developed a cracked screen right on the hinge (how did I know?)...
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> In one month we'll be reading about all these $2000.00 phones that developed a cracked screen right on the hinge (how did I know?)...
Apparently, solving this problem is why Apple is 3 years late to this game.
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"You're folding it wrong," obviously.
Perhaps Tim Apple had the sense to get out ahead of this.
Happy to be proven wrong! That would be amazing engineering and might actually allow the rollable Global to come to fruition.
But since everybody who has claimed to have perfected the engineering hasn't actually done so one should be cautious on such investments.
Rock or Disco? (Score:3)
I wager this is disco. I don't see the practical benefit. You're taking a well refined design and adding mechanical failure points and replacing a glass screen with a comparatively flimsy plastic one. Now you're making it cost more than a laptop and it has a weird form factor that won't fit nicely in your pocket. Your only benefit? You now have a $2000 unfolded phone that's almost as big as an ipad mini...just don't drop it!!!
But I'm getting old and grey. I remember everyone saying the similar shit to what I said just now about the iPad, the iPhone, the internet, etc. So is this a solution looking for a problem?...or am I just an old out-of-touch greybeard bitching how I don't understand the new world? (or both?)
They're going to have to do a LOT better than they did with the Vision Pro to create a market for this. I wouldn't use one of these if you gave it to me for free. My life isn't calm or simple. My phone gets dropped often and I have to rely on parent-grade thick cases and a screen protector...not to mention I'm constantly using it and putting it my pocket. Having a smooth design makes it robust and not collect lint or dirt. Having a hinge would do the opposite, I wager .
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The internet? Is that thing still around?
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The series of tubes? They actually made it?
Worst Phone Format x2 in One (Score:2)
So, now you can have a shitty square phone that's horrible to hold, or you can unfold it into a much bigger rectangle, that's also horrible to hold. True innovation. Two shitty formats in one extra expensive phone. Yeah, Apple knows how to get it.
Apple went the wrong way (Score:2)
Should have keep the Duo smaller, cheaper (way cheaper), with just enough screen to read email and essentials. A lost opportunity for the new CEO to shine in my view. We'll see how it turns out.
Worth more than 3 iPad minis? (Score:2)
I don't get how a foldable iPhone can cost more than three times as much as 3 iPad minis (non-cellular version). The only difference I see is that the iPad mini doesn't have the absolute newest chip, and the camera on the mini is not great...but otherwise, 3 times as much? Really? And the data plan is much cheaper than a full phone plan. Maybe my next phone will be an iPad.
Re: Worth more than 3 iPad minis? (Score:2)
Find a competitive foldable automobile and see how much it costs compared to non-foldable automobiles, and I think you'll find foldable shit is expensive.
Never buy first gen (Score:2)
The rule with Apple products is you always wait until the third iteration to buy if you are generally interested. That way you get through all the issues and kinks, and the tech advances to the point that it fully works as intended. Usually, the first gen is more of a "proof of concept" for bleeding edge early adopter types.
I can see some appeal, but there are two issues with a foldable phone: not as nice as a regular phone in folded mode when "on the go" and likely not as durable. I will drop my phone doze
In other words.... (Score:2)
what did Android do years ago.....
Re: In other words.... (Score:2)
The History of the iPhone in a nutshell.
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Oh the irony.
Android was originally a Blackberry knock-off, until [Google] saw Apple's work on the iPhone.
Camera is the main issue (Score:2)
Most people who use foldable phone don't have enough physics knowledge on how camera optics work.
In general good cameras need more thickness. Foldable phone restricts this. So using the same technologies, I can make better camera on non-foldable phone than on foldable phone when the thickness of non-foldable phone is same as folded phone.
So either you get higher thickness when folded or you get inferior photos when compared to non-foldable phone.
That is one of the main reasons, why I don't plan to get a fol
The important question no one asked is (Score:2)
Will it blend?
Chasing a trend (Score:3)
Help me out if I'm way off base here (but I'm not) - nobody I know likes or uses a foldable phone. This feels like a desperate trend-chasing move from an 'innovator' company...
Real Value (Score:1)
I do not play video games, or work on documents on my phone, etc..., so its not for me, but for these use cases and others there is real value in having a larger screen. A foldable phone is the only way to have a significantly larger screen without having to wear cargo pants.
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It would almost make sense....IF it ran in ipad mode open, ran ipad apps open, but closed up and behaved like iphone. Two devices in one. Probably cheaper than an iphone + ipad mini combo. But apple fumbled it again.
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iPhone and iPad apps are technically the same binary - or at least can be. The only real difference is orientation and size support configurations the developer decides to enable.
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That's my thought as well. Also, it's not cheaper than getting two separate devices so there's no cost advantage.
I've never been a fan of foldable phones so I'm not the target market for this anyway, but what allure does this product have for anyone who wants to buy one? This product category feels more like a status symbol than serving any legitimate mainstream need. Niche product categories are fine, but Apple has never been a company excited to spend their time making something that only sells a few h
Re: Chasing a trend (Score:2)
I bought the Pixel 11 Fold. I really like it. I use the large screen many times a day. I'm very happy I bought it.
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I know a couple of tech enthusiast types with too much money, they love this shit, both men and women.
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I tried the Surface Duo and while the form factor was nice, the software mostly sucked, and the camera was terrible. It was really good at separating apps that want to be full screen between the two screens. Been using a Samsung Fold4 since, and it has been much better usability, but the durability is poor, I got the extended warranty and have had it repaired for folding screen failures about yearly. When they pull the screen they also have replaced the battery so from that standpoint it has been kinda n
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Posted before looking at the link, this wider format like the new Galaxy Fold is a better format for making use of the folding screen than the older Folds or Fold Ultra, and I see it supports a stylus so that's actually going to be useful. So good for them on features. With as critical as phones have become for 2FA and all that it is still a risk having an extra fragile device, and making cases that are functional and protective is tricky with the foldables. Hard to recommend if you don't have a spare ph
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I don't want one.
But ... I'm sure Apple is going to sell* boatloads of these damn foldable phones. There are lots of people who still want the latest shiny, and unlike the ill-fated Vision Pro, at the end of the day this is still just a standard smartphone with a different form factor, not some new wearable toy most people can't think of a use for.
* Lease/finance/whatever
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> But... I'm sure Apple is going to sell* boatloads of these damn foldable phones.
I'm not. $2K is an eye-watering amount to spend on a cell phone, even in 2026, and especially on a design that seems almost guaranteed to start wearing a vertical line into the display at the folding-point over time. I expect a number of Slashdot articles about unhappy Duo users demanding redress over that issue, even if everything else works as advertised.
Maybe in a better economy, people would splurge on something like this, but I don't think that's the zeitgest this season.
Re: Chasing a trend (Score:2)
You're probably also not the type to queue for 2 days in the rain outside the Apple store...
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It's for the people who use their phone 99% of the time. Us people who comment on Slashdot either on a laptop or a desktop with a 42" screen aren't the target market.
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Have you considered getting to know more people. I will agree with you the market is small, but there are plenty of people out there that both like and use foldable phones. How many? Well enough that multiple companies have invested money into designing and selling a product that has been enough to sustain multiple generations (Samsung is currently on the 7th Gen).
I won't get a foldable phone, but clearly there are people out there who do, otherwise the concept would have died by now.
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All they need to do is convince tik-tok and youtube to offer a square video format.
- Portrait videos suck.
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I'm old. Like, well, really REALLY old. And you would think being essentially immortal would come with perks like being able to see, but having effective ciliary muscles and them being completely dead are two different things.
I watched the preso and my first thought was "Jesus (... thank you again sir), Apple keeps making better phones for old people!" This seems like one such phone, although I don't see myself opening my wallet for one until my 15 pro max is truly utterly dead (heh), and I know for sure
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Yes, from as thin as possible for YEARS, now it's double thickness that's all the rage.
Re: Chasing a trend (Score:2)
That's perfect for Apple. If their rabid fans buy this, they can say they revolutionized the phone by introducing foldable devices and their fans will believe Apple actually invented something.