Apple introduced its first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, at a launch event where CEO John Ternus showed off the $2,000 passport-style device with dual 48-megapixel rear cameras. The phone opens for preorder Oct. 16 and hits stores Oct. 23, arriving years after competitors already established the foldable phone category. CNET staff writers offered varied reactions, from excitement about foldables regaining relevance to skepticism about buying the very first version.
Vivo's X Fold 6 foldable is expected to expand beyond its home market into Europe, positioning it as a direct competitor to Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. Reports suggest the device could ship with double the storage of Samsung's flagship while matching its price point.
Apple unveiled the iPhone Duo, its first folding phone, at a recent event, drawing comparisons to both Microsoft's 2020 dual-screen Duo and Apple's own iPad Mini. The device supports Apple Pencil input and some split-screen app functionality reminiscent of iPad multitasking, though Apple describes it only as 'inspired by' the iPad rather than a replacement for it. Pricing is expected to start around $2,000.
Apple's event introduced a feature called Reference Image, which creates an unalterable digital record of a photo so users can check whether it's been altered with AI, alongside an AppleCare One Family plan and a new foldable device called iPhone Duo. The writer, a longtime Android user, says these announcements impressed them despite Android often introducing similar concepts first.
Apple and Google have each released premium foldable phones—the iPhone Duo and Pixel 11 Pro Fold—that carry IP68 durability ratings, a first for foldables in terms of dust and water protection. The Duo starts at $1,999 with preorders opening Oct. 16 ahead of an Oct. 23 launch, while the $1,899 Pixel 11 Pro Fold is already on sale. The two differ mainly in form factor: the Pixel uses a book-style fold with a standard-size cover screen, while the Duo has a shorter, wider passport-style design.
A free application designed to identify and flag suspicious phone calls and messages is being highlighted as a defense against increasingly sophisticated scams. The tool works across both major mobile platforms, giving users a way to screen for fraud attempts before falling victim to them.
In a joint interview, new Apple CEO John Ternus and marketing chief Greg Joswiak explained why Apple chose now to launch its first foldable, the iPhone Duo, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro. Ternus said the device only moved forward once hardware, software and design met Apple's quality bar, while Joswiak criticized rival foldables as feeling cheap and flimsy.
Apple's new CEO John Ternus and marketing chief Greg Joswiak told TechRadar and Tom's Guide that competitors like Samsung, Huawei and Xiaomi announced similarly proportioned foldable phones before Apple's iPhone Duo, due to shared suppliers leaking design details. Joswiak said Apple did manage to keep the phone's unique folding nano-texture display a secret through extra security measures.
Trump Mobile has quietly raised the price of its gold-colored T1 Phone from $499 to $749, a $250 jump first reported by The Verge. The company has not explained the increase, though executives previously said the $499 tag was only an introductory price that could eventually rise as high as $999.
Apple unveiled its first foldable, the iPhone Duo, at $2,230 (15,999 yuan) in China, a price that triggered immediate pushback from consumers comparing it to their local incomes and to cheaper domestic rivals. Xiaomi and Huawei had just launched competing foldables days earlier, the Xiaomi 18 Fold at 10,999 yuan and Huawei's trifold Mate XT2 at 19,999 yuan, intensifying the price comparisons. Despite the mixed local reaction, Apple shares rose more than 3% after the launch event.
A comparison of the flagship-sized iPhone 18 Pro Max and Galaxy S26 Ultra shows both share a 6.9-inch screen but differ in build: Apple mixes aluminum and glass while Samsung uses an all-glass back. Samsung's phone is lighter and thinner, has a marginally higher-resolution AMOLED display, and retains the S Pen stylus, while Apple's OLED screen edges ahead on peak brightness at 3,000 nits versus 2,600 nits.
Apple's new iPhone 18 Pro Max debuted at $1,299, a $100 jump from last year's model, putting its 256GB version near the price of Samsung's $1,300 Galaxy S26 Ultra. The two flagships now compete closely on battery life and cameras, despite differing designs: the 18 Pro Max uses an aluminum unibody with a 6.8-inch OLED screen, while the lighter S26 Ultra features a 6.9-inch AMOLED display with a unique Privacy Display mode.
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