Engadget's review of Apple's iPhone Duo foldable describes a 5.4-inch 120Hz OLED outer display with up to 3,000 nits brightness, paired with a 7.6-inch inner panel sharing the same aspect ratio and interface for a seamless transition. The inner screen uses a matte nanotexture coating to reduce glare and hide the crease, which is replaceable for $49 but can be damaged if peeled at improperly, with no on-device warning against doing so.
Apple's first folding iPhone, the Duo, has a 7.6-inch unfolding screen, and within a week several major apps including Instagram, Threads, Slack and Google updated to properly support its larger display and vertical layout. Full compatibility requires developers to target the iOS 27.1 SDK. The device launches seven years after Samsung's original Galaxy Fold, with an IP68 rating and a largely concealed crease thanks to its display design and matte nanotexture screen.
Apple told Reuters that only a limited number of iPhone Duo foldable phones will be available for walk-in customers at its stores when the device launches Friday, October 23rd. Online preorders for the $1,999 device, Apple's first foldable with a 5.4-inch outer and 7.6-inch inner display, sold out quickly, pushing some delivery estimates into next year. In some markets, including Japan, South Korea, and the UAE, customers can only obtain the device through a pickup reservation rather than walk-in purchase.
The Verge's senior smartphone reviewer spent a week testing the iPhone Duo, Apple's first foldable iPhone, alongside editor-in-chief Nilay Patel, and hosted a live Q&A session to field reader questions about the device. The published review already covered core functionality, but the reviewer noted there was more detail to share about how the device operates in daily use.
Apple has released the iPhone Duo, its first foldable iPhone, which uses a wide, passport-shaped design rather than the tall-and-narrow form factor most rival foldables have adopted since 2020. The review describes the device as a significant but unfinished first-generation product, aimed more at gadget enthusiasts than mainstream buyers.
A senior tech reviewer who tested the iPhone Duo for a week says the nano-texture matte finish on its 7.6-inch inner screen stands out as the device's strongest feature. She notes it reduces glare and improves readability compared with the glossy inner displays found on other book-style foldables she has used over the past five years.
An early hands-on report on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 notes that the device's display crease feels notably soft compared to the rest of the screen. The reviewer questions whether this softness is an intentional design trade-off or a potential durability issue.
Apple confirmed to CNET that the iPhone Duo, its first foldable phone, will ship on Oct. 23 running iOS 27.1 instead of the base iOS 27 version used on other iPhones. Apple says iOS 27.1 retains the iOS 27 foundation but adds features built specifically for the foldable design, while all iPhones will later receive iOS 27.2, whose release candidate arrived Oct. 19.
Apple's new foldable iPhone Duo lacks a telephoto lens, has a lower-resolution front camera than recent iPhones, and drops the variable aperture found on the iPhone 18 Pro. It also uses Touch ID on the side button instead of Face ID and omits the Action Button, while many third-party apps have yet to be updated for its foldable screen at launch.
Apple released the iOS 27.2 release candidate on Oct. 19, over a month after iOS 27 launched. The build expands Siri AI beyond English into French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish, adds a FaceTime feature letting users run front and rear cameras simultaneously, and introduces a new Apple Music color scheme. Apple previously said the foldable iPhone Duo will launch Oct. 23 on iOS 27.1, with other devices able to update to 27.2 afterward.
Apple said nearly 100 components across the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo are produced by American companies in over a dozen states. It named Perryman Company, a Pennsylvania titanium producer, as a new partner supplying titanium for the iPhone Duo's enclosure, backed by up to $100 million over three years, and expanded its work with Delaware-based Qnity Electronics to make film components for the iPhone 18 Pro's variable aperture camera.
A leak reported by 9to5Google indicates Samsung intends to launch six separate foldable devices next year: the Galaxy Z Slide, Z TriFold2, Z Fold9, Z Fold9 Pro, Z Fold9 Ultra, and Z Flip9. The move follows Apple's launch of the iPhone Duo, which has reportedly seen demand far outstrip supply, and comes after Samsung reportedly moved up the release of its Z Trifold 2.
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