Before You Buy: Five Things to Know About the Foldable iPhone Duo
Apple's first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, starts at $1,999, with pre-orders opening Friday. It comes with several trade-offs compared with regular iPhones, though a number of deals are on offer.
Apple opens pre-orders for the iPhone Duo, its first foldable phone, on Friday, with the first units shipping to buyers on October 23. It is the most expensive iPhone to date, starting at $1,999. Tech site Engadget has outlined what buyers should consider before ordering.
What you give up versus a regular iPhone
The Duo has two rear cameras and no dedicated telephoto lens. Its 2x zoom comes from digitally cropping the 48-megapixel main sensor, which is a step below the iPhone 18 Pro. The front camera is 12 megapixels rather than 18, and the main lens has no variable aperture.
The phone unlocks with Touch ID on the side button instead of Face ID. The Action Button is gone, though Camera Control remains. Third-party developers must update their apps to fill the whole screen. Netflix, Zoom and Slack will have updates at launch, but other apps may initially look stretched or show black bars.
How it compares with rivals
Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 starts at $1,899, weighs 201 grams and is 9.7 mm thick when closed. The iPhone Duo weighs 254 grams and is 11.3 mm thick. Google's Pixel 11 Pro Fold also starts at $1,899 and has a telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom.
Deals and accessories
Apple's trade-in program offers up to $885 off. Buyers can also pay interest-free with Apple Card from $83.29 a month for 24 months, or use Apple Upgrade, run with Klarna, from $57.99 a month. AT&T offers up to $1,200 in trade-in credit, and T-Mobile up to $1,000 for Xfinity Mobile Plus customers.
Apple's case costs $79 and the Duo Folio $129. Apple Pencil support will arrive later this year via a software update. No power adapter is included; Apple's 40W adapter reaches a 50 percent charge in 20 minutes.
No reviews yet
Independent reviews will probably appear next week. Apple offers a 14-day return policy.
