Apple Unveils the iPhone Duo — the Company's First Foldable Smartphone

Apple has announced its long-awaited foldable iPhone, called the iPhone Duo. The device arrives more than seven years after the first Samsung Galaxy Fold hit the market.

In its folded state, the newcomer resembles a passport in shape and size — much like Samsung's recent Galaxy Z Fold 8. The outer display measures 5.4 inches diagonally, and when unfolded the smartphone becomes a device with a 7.6-inch screen — the largest of any iPhone to date.

The Long Road to a Foldable iPhone

Rumors of a foldable iPhone had been circulating since at least 2017, when optimistic reports suggested production could begin as early as 2020. Since then, competitors — Samsung, Google, Huawei, Oppo, Honor and others — have released a host of foldable Android smartphones: large book-style models, compact “clamshells,” and, more recently, dual-hinge devices (trifolds).

Even so, the segment itself remains relatively small: in 2025, foldables accounted for just 1.6% of all smartphone sales.

Apple's Influence Felt in Advance

According to various reports, Apple had explored options across all of these form factors, as well as larger foldable iPads. Over the past two years, however, reports have converged on a short, wide book-style foldable iPhone — one that resembles a passport in shape and size when folded.

Curiously, the very anticipation of such a device appears to have prompted Huawei, Samsung and Xiaomi to release foldable smartphones this year in roughly the same form factor. This only goes to show that Apple's influence on the industry remains disproportionately large — competitors are adapting to a product that hasn't even launched yet.

Source: The Verge