Apple Introduces iPhone Duo, Its First Foldable iPhone With a 7.6-Inch Display

Apple has introduced the iPhone Duo, the first foldable smartphone in the company's flagship line. Opened, it becomes a tablet-style device with a 7.6-inch inner display; closed, it works as a conventional phone with a 5.4-inch outer panel. Apple rebuilt iOS 27 around the new form factor, and for the first time an iPhone can keep two apps on screen at once. It is the most significant change to the hardware in almost two decades.

Two displays and a titanium body

Both Super Retina XDR panels share the same aspect ratio, so content scales proportionally and users do not lose their place when the device is folded. The inner screen is 50% larger than the display of the iPhone 18 Pro Max, while the outer one delivers roughly 90% of the screen area of the iPhone 18 Pro. Both support ProMotion, Always On and peak brightness of up to 3000 nits.

The inner panel uses a nano-texture matte finish that cuts glare and also makes the fold less visible. The FaceTime camera sits beneath the screen and stays hidden when it is not in use, leaving the surface uninterrupted. The frame is made of grade 5 titanium, the back is protected by Ceramic Shield, and the outer display is covered by Ceramic Shield 2 with three times the scratch resistance of the previous generation. The hinge is built from more than a hundred components, supports the middle of the panel and holds it flat, and the phone carries an IP68 rating.

iOS 27 rebuilt for a folding screen

Lock Screen controls, the Dock and in-app navigation have moved to the side edge to free up vertical space for content. The Dynamic Island now sits vertically along the side of both panels and expands for alerts and Live Activities. When the device is open, Today View with its scrolling list of widgets appears on the left, and content automatically moves to the appropriate screen as the phone is folded or flipped over.

Split View makes it possible for the first time to run two apps side by side on an iPhone, open two windows of the same app and save app pairs to return to later.

StandBy now works even when the phone is not plugged in, turning a device left on a desk into a clock, a photo frame or a widget panel on either of the two screens.

Netflix, Zoom and Slack have already adapted their apps to the new format, and developers get updated APIs in the current SDKs. The phone also supports Apple Intelligence and the new Siri AI assistant, which can occupy one half of the large display while the user browses content on the other. Siri AI ships as a beta and starts out in English only.

Cameras and new ways to shoot

The 48MP Fusion Main camera combines a large sensor, fast optics and sensor-shift stabilization, captures with zero shutter lag and includes an optical-quality 2x zoom. Shots are saved at 24MP by default, a balance between detail and file size. The second module, a 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide, handles wider fields of view and macro photography and is the same unit used in the iPhone 18 Pro models. The Center Stage front camera widens and rotates the frame on its own, so there is no need to turn the phone for a landscape selfie.

Smart Take analyzes the scene on device and fires the shutter automatically once everyone in the frame is posing, so the photographer no longer has to race a timer.

Duo Preview mirrors the live shot on the outer display, letting the person being photographed check their pose and framing before the picture is taken.

The outer display is used in other scenarios as well: Kid Cue plays animations to get children to look at the lens, and Duo FaceTime lets someone standing nearby join a video call. Video recording reaches 4K at 120 fps in Dolby Vision, Cinematic effects can be applied after capture, and time-lapse supports 4K with Dolby Vision HDR.

Performance and battery life

The iPhone Duo runs on the 2-nanometer A20 Pro chip, the same silicon used in the iPhone 18 Pro models. The processor is bonded to a vapor chamber, and according to Apple the cooling design delivers up to 35% better sustained performance than the iPhone 17 Pro. The company also claims a 6-core CPU up to 20% faster than the A19 Pro, a 7-core GPU that is 40% faster, and a new Neural Engine with twice the compute power for on-device AI models.

Power comes from two batteries placed on either side of the fold, which the system balances as a single cell. Apple quotes up to 31 hours of video playback on the inner display, up to 44 hours on the outer one and up to 24 hours of mixed use. The phone reaches half a charge in about 20 minutes over a cable and in about 30 minutes with MagSafe or Qi2. It is eSIM-only, with connectivity handled by Apple's own N1 chip for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread, and the C2 modem with mmWave support in the U.S.

Specifications

• Inner display: 7.6" Super Retina XDR, nano-texture finish, ProMotion, Always On, up to 3000 nits
• Outer display: 5.4" Super Retina XDR, ProMotion, Always On, up to 3000 nits
• Chip: Apple A20 Pro (2nm), 6-core CPU, 7-core GPU, Dual 16-core Neural Engine
• Cooling: thermal system with a vapor chamber
• Rear cameras: 48MP Fusion Main with sensor-shift stabilization and optical-quality 2x zoom, 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide
• Front cameras: Center Stage on the outer panel, FaceTime camera under the inner display
• Video: 4K 120 fps in Dolby Vision, 4K time-lapse in Dolby Vision HDR
• Storage: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB
• Battery: dual-cell, up to 31 hours of video on the inner display and up to 44 hours on the outer one
• Charging: up to 50% in about 20 minutes wired and in about 30 minutes via MagSafe or Qi2
• Build: grade 5 titanium, Ceramic Shield 2 front, Ceramic Shield back
• Water and dust resistance: IP68
• Wireless: N1 (Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, Thread), C2 modem, mmWave in the U.S.
• SIM: eSIM only
• Biometrics: Touch ID in the side button
• OS: iOS 27.1

Star White Night Sky