Apple Unveils iPhone Duo, Its First Foldable Smartphone
At its September event in Cupertino, Apple introduced the iPhone Duo alongside the new iPhone 18 Pro lineup, marking its entry into the foldable phone market. Analysts expect the launch to boost the still-niche foldable category.
Apple has unveiled the iPhone Duo, its first foldable smartphone, at the company's annual September event held at Apple Park in Cupertino, California. The device was announced together with the new iPhone 18 Pro models.
Apple joins the foldable phone market relatively late, as the category has existed since Samsung launched the original Galaxy Fold in 2019. Since then, manufacturers including Honor, Google, Motorola, and Oppo have released their own folding devices, with recent generations becoming thinner, lighter, and more durable.
The iPhone Duo features a book-style design and is comparable in size to Samsung's recent Galaxy Z Fold8, bearing similarities to Google's original Pixel Fold. This so-called "passport-style" fold is shorter when closed but opens wider than many earlier foldable designs, making it better suited for watching video content since it reduces the thick black bars that typically appear around shows and movies.
Market impact expected
According to IDC senior research director Nabila Popal, the foldable category has declined for five consecutive quarters, down 13 percent year over year. Apple's entry could help reverse that trend, with the company potentially capturing up to 30 percent of the foldable market by the end of 2026. Even so, foldables remain a niche segment, representing only about 2 percent of the global smartphone market by the end of this year.
An IDC survey found that 60 percent of consumers said they were unlikely to buy a foldable phone for their next upgrade. However, when asked whether they would buy one if Apple released it, nearly 33 percent said they "absolutely" would, reflecting Apple's strong pull with consumers.
Durability concerns remain
One lingering concern is the durability and repairability of foldable devices, which tend to be more fragile and harder to fix than traditional smartphones. Elizabeth Chamberlain, director of sustainability at iFixit, said her team has never disassembled a foldable phone it would consider truly repairable. She noted that while manufacturers have made major strides in durability since the first Galaxy Fold, those improvements haven't been matched by gains in repairability.
