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Apple confirmed to CNET that its first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, will launch on Oct. 23 running iOS 27.1 instead of the base iOS 27 version. The company said this build adds features specifically designed for the foldable form factor, while other iPhones are already testing the next update, iOS 27.2. Preorders for the Duo open Oct. 16, and all devices will eventually be able to move to iOS 27.2 later this year.
According to a blogger tracking Chinese social media chatter, Samsung is moving up the release of its Galaxy Z Trifold 2, seemingly in reaction to Apple's incoming iPhone Duo. The move comes despite the original trifold device's lackluster commercial performance, and the new model is expected to carry a similar price tag.
CNET is revisiting its original 2007 review of the first iPhone, written by Kent German and Donald Bell, as Apple prepares to launch the foldable iPhone Duo starting at $2,000. The original review praised the iPhone's design but criticized its missing features, slow EDGE network, and $499 price tag, which required a two-year AT&T contract.
Analyst Jeff Pu has lowered his 2026 shipment estimate for Apple's foldable iPhone Duo from 7 million to 6 million units, citing hinge-related production constraints rather than weak demand. Pre-orders for the device, which starts at $1,999, open October 16 with deliveries beginning October 23. By comparison, Pu expects roughly 72 million iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max units to ship this year.
Jensen Huang has been seen publicly using a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, a device he reportedly received as a gift from Samsung Electronics' chairman last year. The sighting suggests Huang has adopted the foldable as his personal phone rather than just accepting it as a courtesy gift.
Analyst Mark Gurman says Apple's newly unveiled iPhone Duo, its first foldable phone, could spawn variants like a Duo Max, Duo mini, or Duo SE in coming years. He argues Apple deliberately picked a short name to leave room for such suffixes, mirroring its Air and Pro naming conventions.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman predicts that foldable phones, currently just 2% of the global smartphone market, will become the majority of new phone sales within ten years. He suggests Apple could eventually extend the format across its lineup, from a larger iPhone Duo Max down to a foldable iPhone SE as manufacturing costs decrease.
Apple has launched its first foldable phone as the iPhone Duo rather than the rumored iPhone Ultra, positioning it as a premium but not top-tier device that lacks a telephoto camera and has a smaller battery than the iPhone 18 Pro Max. The compact, palm-size Duo starts at $1,999 and will be available October 23, competing more closely with Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 than its flagship Z Fold 8 Ultra, which starts at $2,100 and is already on sale with Samsung's best camera and battery specs.
Apple has released the iPhone Duo, its first foldable phone, featuring a passport-style hinge and large displays, priced at over $2,000. Unlike Samsung, which has iterated on foldables for seven years mostly among tech enthusiasts, Apple's mainstream user base means early feedback could shape how folding phones evolve industry-wide.
Apple opened pre-orders for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max ahead of their September 18 launch, but shipping estimates for many Pro Max configurations have already slipped into October. The standard Pro remains widely available for day-one delivery, while only the priciest 2TB storage option across both models still ships on launch day.
Blogger Nicolas Lellouche discovered a hidden display option on the iPhone Duo called 'Shift Left Edge,' which adds a black border to the outer screen's left side, effectively doubling the bezel there. Apple's own description says the feature shifts content away from cases that partially cover that edge of the outer display.
Apple unveiled the iPhone Duo, a foldable phone launching October 23 starting at $1,999, whose hardware resembles rivals like Samsung's Z Fold 8. What sets it apart is a version of iOS and apps specifically reworked for the folding screen, including repositioned app icons and smoother transitions between the cover and inner displays.