STORY: Apple on Wednesday (September 9) redefined its flagship smartphone with the launch of the Duo, a folding $1,999 iPhone, betting its design and promises of data privacy will let it leap ahead of rivals who have been selling folding phones for years.

The Duo could shake up a category long dominated by Samsung and Chinese companies like Huawei, whose devices have struggled to move beyond a niche audience. Analysts have long said Apple's entry could be the catalyst foldables need, helping bring the form factor into the mainstream much as the company did with smartwatches and wireless earbuds.

“The main takeaway is that you might go to a foldable because of what it looks like but you’re going to stay for the software," analyst Carolina Milanesi with Creative Strategies told Reuters. "I think Apple has done a great job in really limiting all the friction points that you might have as you learn what you can do with a new form factor. And I think that that is ultimately what is going to drive engagement and stickiness to the form factor.”

The Duo is sized and shaped like a passport, with rounded edges. It opens into a horizontal, 7.6-inch-diagonal (19 cm) screen that also can be viewed vertically. There is a smaller single screen on the front, when the phone is folded. When open, it is Apple's thinnest phone, the company said. However, it is thicker than folding phones offered by Chinese rivals.Apple said the iPhone Duo, available from October 23, will feature the A20 Pro chip to drive its displays and also a new C2 modem chip designed by Apple, part of its move away from Qualcomm's wireless data chips. Its battery supports 24 hours of mixed dual-screen use and can charge to 50% in about 20 minutes.

Executives also showed off the iPhone 18 Pro and the 18 Pro Max handsets that are the latest versions of Apple's well-known line, which do not fold. Pricing for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max starts at $1,199 and $1,299, up $100 from the starting prices of the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max.

The company also said a new version of AirPods would start at $129 with noise cancellation, a first for its budget line of earbuds. Apple also unveiled the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4, positioned as major health-focused upgrades with new features that gauge recovery and fitness, as well as improved heart-rate tracking.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 9, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF NEW DUO OPENING AND CLOSING

2. VARIOUS OF NEW DUO ON DISPLAY

3. PHOTOGRAPHERS TAKING PICTURE OF NEW DUO

4. VARIOUS OF DUO ON STAND

5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) BOB O’DONNELL, CHIEF ANALYST AT TECHNALYSIS RESEARCH, SAYING:

“Well, look, it was exciting. To see John Ternus walk out on stage, it signaled this new era for Apple and here we are and there is more excitement around this IPhone Duo than I’ve seen around any other Apple product in a very long time.”

6. VARIOUS OF JOURNALIST PLAYING WITH DUO

7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) BOB O’DONNELL, CHIEF ANALYST AT TECHNALYSIS RESEARCH, SAYING:

“I think what the Duo does is it raises all boats. I think you’re going to see a lot more people look at foldables as an interesting new alternative. I do think Apple will probably steal some sales from Samsung and some of these other foldable devices. But I also think we're going to see more people giving credence to this idea of a foldable design. And, you know, we could see it raise up, to maybe 10% of the market. It’s never going to become the mainstream, not for a very long time, but I think in the near term we can see a significant growth.”

8. VARIOUS OF APPLE CEO JOHN TERNUS TALKING WITH UNIDENTIFIED PERSON / POSING FOR PHOTOS

9. INTERIOR OF ROOM

10. VARIOUS OF DUO / APPLE LOGO ON WALL

11. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CAROLINA MILANESI, ANALYST WITH CREATIVE STRATEGIES, SAYING:

“I think John did good. I loved the handover til the last minute with Tim in the video coming and saying ‘I’m not your guy. He’s the guy.’ I thought it was so well done. But I like what John is signaling, which is that the phone is still here to stay. He’s changing the value that we put on the phone and that the other devices will come around that phone to bring even more value.”

12. ONLINE INFLUENCER ISHOWSPEED DOING A BACKFLIP FOR JOHN TERNUS

13. INFLUENCER POSING FOR PHOTO WITH JOHN TERNUS

14. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CAROLINA MILANESI, ANALYST WITH CREATIVE STRATEGIES, SAYING:

“The main takeaway is that you might go to a foldable because of what it looks like but you’re going to stay for the software. I think Apple has done a great job in really limiting all the friction points that you might have as you learn what you can do with a new form factor. And I think that that is ultimately what is going to drive engagement and stickiness to the form factor.”

15. VARIOUS OF APPLE EMPLOYEE SHOWING OFF DUO

16. VARIOUS OF IPHONE 18

17. VARIOUS OF APPLE WATCH SERIES