After several years of rumors about a foldable iPhone, 2026 is the year when Apple finally releases the iPhone Duo. The new foldable in the market has a few surprises not mentioned in previous rumors. The price though, might not be favorable to customers who want to covet this latest phone.
The cover is a 5.4″ Super Retina XDR display with rounded corners. It also has the passport sized form factor that lets you hold and use with one hand.
When unfolded, it reveals a 7.6″ inner display covering 90% of the screen area of an iPhone 18 Pro. Notice the dock is no longer on the bottom of the screen as it was moved on the right side. The arrangement is also the same with the iPhone Duo closed. This is a nice approach as you can access the dock easily with your right thumb. However, left-handed users might find this a problem. The transition of opening and closing the Duo is fluid and intuitive. They made this possible by designing the foldable with a consistent aspect ratio for both displays.
The facetime camera is discreetly hidden on the upper right area of the inner display. The dynamic island also shows up in the same area.
With two screens, the Split View feature allows users to open two apps side by side on iPhone for the first time. Multi-tasking is seamless though they were only able to show up to two apps working on the display. I reckon it might be the same as the iPad where a third app can float on the screen.
The big surprise with the iPhone Duo is the use of Apple Pencil. Steve Jobs may have hated that idea when he released the first iPhone 19 years ago, but it’s 2026 and Apple thinks it is essential now with all their iPads having them. What’s also great with this news is the Pencil can write on both the cover and inner displays.
ALSO READ: Xiaomi 18 Fold Now Official in China
Apple claims the Duo is the thinnest iPhone ever when unfolded. They did not explain about the durability of its hinge.
The latest A20 Pro chip powers the iPhone Duo and is paired with an advanced thermal management system. Apple claims the iPhone Duo delivers up to 35 percent better sustained performance than iPhone 17 Pro. The 6-core CPU is up to 20 percent faster than A19 Pro, delivering the fastest CPU in a smartphone; the 7-core GPU is up to 40 percent faster and more power efficient.
The iPhone Duo comes with a 48MP Fusion Main camera that can take sharp photos at up to 48MP resolution. The 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide camera is similar to the iPhone 18 Pro models. It captures wider fields of view and enables macro photography. The Center Stage front camera can automatically take photos and videos in any orientation, so users don’t have to rotate iPhone for landscape selfies. Users can also take a selfie with the higher-resolution rear cameras and preview their shot on the outer display.
Apple said that their apps are optimized with the iPhone Duo and have already released their updated APIs and latest SDKs for developers to adapt their apps.
Apple designed the iPhone Duo to have one high-energy battery on each side to maximize capacity while efficiently using internal space. Users get up to 31 hours of video playback when using the inner display, up to 44 hours of video playback when using the outer display, and up to 24 hours of usage per charge when both displays are used equally, The iPhone Duo can charge up to 50 percent in 20 minutes. Contrary to rumors, the Duo can be charge wirelessly with MagSafe up to 50 percent in 30 minutes.
iPhone Duo Price and Availability
Here are the prices of the iPhone Duo based from the Apple Philippines website:
- 256GB – ₱159,990.00
- 512GB – ₱175,990.00
- 1TB – ₱207,990.00
- 2TB – ₱254,990.00
The iPhone Duo will be released in the U.S. by October. The Philippines may have to wait longer as the iPhone Duo may arrive in our shores by November or December.
