Apple's iPhone 18 generation launches without a standard model, offering instead the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and a new folding iPhone Duo. The Pro models are up for preorder September 12 and ship September 18, while the Duo opens preorders October 16 ahead of an October 23 release. Rumors point to a cheaper standard iPhone, an 18e, and a second-generation Air arriving as early as spring 2027.
A tech commentary piece pushes back on comparisons between Apple's rumored foldable iPhone Duo and the Apple Vision Pro, arguing the two products face very different market conditions. The Duo starts at $1,999, well under the Vision Pro's now $3,699 price tag, and functions as a pocketable phone-tablet hybrid rather than a stationary headset with limited daily utility.
A Geekbench 6 benchmark result attributed to Apple's unreleased A20 Pro chip has surfaced online, showing single-core and multi-core scores roughly 25% higher than the current A19 Pro. The chip, built on a 2nm process, is expected to power the upcoming iPhone Duo foldable and iPhone 18 Pro models, with clock speeds nearing 5 GHz.
Apple's iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max feature a Main camera with a wider f/1.48 maximum aperture, up from f/1.7 on last year's models. While variable aperture is the marquee addition to the camera system, this fixed aperture upgrade may matter more to everyday users who don't touch the phone's manual Pro controls.
A tech writer with years of foldable phone experience shares candid impressions of what daily use is like, framed around anticipation of Apple's rumored foldable iPhone. The piece notes that a larger screen and unique software tricks come bundled with real-world trade-offs that new foldable owners should expect.
Apple has officially unveiled the iPhone Duo, its first foldable phone, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro lineup, Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, and AirPods 5 at its recent event. Comparing published specs, the iPhone Duo closely mirrors Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold8 in screen size and brightness, but differs in resolution, weight, chip, and camera setup, with Apple's device notably heavier at 254g versus Samsung's 201g. The iPhone Duo launches October 23, though Apple has not yet disclosed battery capacity.
Apple is preparing to give developers new tools to optimize their apps for the upcoming iPhone Duo, which is expected to ship next month alongside iOS 27. Until then, most third-party apps will only reach partial compatibility with the device's larger foldable display, while apps using custom toolbar designs will need extra work to fully adapt.
Apple has released its long-rumored foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, running iOS 27. The device features a 7.6-inch inner display, multitasking tools, multi-camera FaceTime, and first-ever Apple Pencil compatibility for an iPhone, alongside a redesigned interface that shifts the app dock and menus to the side when unfolded.
A 2009 demo video of Microsoft's abandoned Courier prototype is drawing renewed attention for its resemblance to Apple's rumored iPhone Duo foldable design. The Courier featured dual screens with an integrated interface allowing users to drag content like photos between panels, a concept Microsoft shelved less than a year after unveiling it.
A developer has built a custom animation set for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 that mimics the smooth folding transitions expected on Apple's rumored foldable iPhone, sometimes called the iPhone Fold or iPhone Duo. The recreation shows how Apple's anticipated software polish could look when applied to Samsung's existing foldable hardware.
At Apple's keynote unveiling new iPhones, the standout for this writer wasn't the visually striking iPhone Duo but the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, both of which now include a variable aperture lens with manual control options. Apple also appears to be pairing this hardware change with computational photography to improve Portrait mode results, based on sample images shown at the event.
Apple's fall event, the first led by CEO John Ternus, introduced the foldable iPhone Duo and larger iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, but notably skipped a standard non-Pro iPhone 18. Analysts expect Apple to release a cheaper mainline iPhone in a separate spring event, similar to past SE launches. The entry price for new iPhones announced Wednesday rose to $1,199, while the iPhone 17 saw a $100 price hike to $899.