Apple’s first folding iPhone costs $1,999 and drops Face ID to get there

Apple introduced its first folding iPhone on 9 September 2026, unveiling a device called iPhone Duo at a press event in Cupertino that doubled as the first major keynote for the company’s new chief executive, John Ternus. The handset opens like a small tablet to a 7.6-inch inner display and closes to a 5.4-inch outer screen, and it starts at $1,999 for a 256GB model, rising to $3,199 for the largest storage option.

The launch marks one of the most significant redesigns of the iPhone lineup in years, and it comes with a notable trade-off: the fingerprint-based Touch ID system returns to Apple’s flagship phone for the first time since 2017, replacing the facial-recognition Face ID system that has anchored every Pro-level iPhone since the iPhone X.

A $1,999 Debut for a New Chief Executive

Ternus took over as Apple’s chief executive on 1 September 2026, after Tim Cook moved into a newly created role as executive chairman, and the iPhone Duo reveal served as his first product keynote in the top job. During the event, Ternus took aim at rival folding phones, describing them as feeling like two phones strapped together rather than a single purpose-built device, and positioned the Duo’s larger screen as behaving more like an iPad than a stretched phone. Pre-orders open on 16 October, with sales beginning 23 October in more than 70 countries, according to Apple’s own announcement. Apple is also selling two dedicated accessories alongside the phone, a $79 iPhone Duo Case and a $129 iPhone Duo Folio with a built-in kickstand, and buyers who would rather spread out the cost can use the Klarna-backed Apple Upgrade leasing programme, which advertises monthly payments starting as low as $57.99 over 24 months.

Two Displays, One Hinge: The Specs Apple Confirmed

Closed, the Duo is described as similar in size to a passport, with its 5.4-inch outer display providing about 90 per cent of the screen area of the standard iPhone 18 Pro. Opened, the 7.6-inch inner display is roughly 50 per cent larger than the iPhone 18 Pro Max’s screen, and both panels share the same aspect ratio so content resizes consistently between the two. Apple says the hinge uses more than 100 individual components engineered to keep the display flat when open, backed by a titanium plate and a nano-textured, scratch-resistant cover layer intended to reduce visible creasing where the screen folds. The rear camera system pairs a 48-megapixel Fusion Main sensor, which includes a built-in optical-quality 2x telephoto, with a 48-megapixel Fusion Ultra Wide camera carried over from the iPhone 18 Pro, while a separate FaceTime camera sits beneath the inner display itself so it stays hidden during ordinary use.

Touch ID Returns to the Side Button, Face ID Steps Aside

Rather than fitting a Face ID camera system into the folding screen, Apple built a Touch ID fingerprint sensor into the Duo’s side power button, the same approach it already uses on the iPad Air. The company’s own materials confirm the switch but do not explain why Face ID was dropped for this specific model, and reporting on the launch has likewise noted that Apple offered no public explanation for the change. It is the first time since 2017 that a flagship-tier iPhone has shipped without Face ID as its biometric unlock method.

Titanium, Ceramic Shield 2, and an IP68 Rating Still to Be Tested

Apple built the Duo’s frame from polished grade 5 titanium and added Ceramic Shield to the back panel, with the newer Ceramic Shield 2 on the front offering, the company says, three times better scratch resistance than the previous generation. The device carries an IP68 water- and dust-resistance rating, tested to withstand a depth of six metres for up to 30 minutes under laboratory conditions. That rating is notably higher than the IP48 rating on Samsung’s current Galaxy Z Fold 8, though independent teardown testing, which has not yet happened, will determine how the folding display itself holds up over repeated use, an area where competing foldables have historically struggled. Given the price and those unresolved durability questions, some of the early coverage of the launch has suggested buyers budget for an AppleCare plan alongside the phone itself.

iOS 27 Redraws Its Interface Around a Folding Screen

To accommodate the unusually wide, book-like shape of the open display, Apple moved the iOS dock, navigation controls and status indicators to the side of the screen rather than the bottom, a layout change the company says is meant to maximise vertical space for content. The software supports Split View for running two apps side by side on an iPhone for the first time, along with the ability to open two windows of the same app. Apple says developers can adapt existing apps using new interface tools built into its latest software developer kits, and that Netflix, Zoom and Slack have already built versions tailored to the folding screen.

A Late Entry Into a Market That’s Still Small

Apple is entering a foldable phone category that remains a small slice of the overall smartphone market. According to reporting on the launch, folding devices accounted for only about 1.6 per cent of global smartphone sales last year, based on figures from Counterpoint Research. Samsung, which has released eight generations of its own Galaxy Fold line since 2019, has never fully solved the durability problems that come with a bending screen, and independent teardowns have flagged persistent hinge wear even in its newest models. Whether the iPhone Duo fares better will not be clear until it reaches buyers in October and independent testing can check Apple’s specific claims about hinge durability and water resistance against everyday use.

This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.

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