iPhone Duo: Everything to know about Apple’s Rs 3 lakh foldable

Apple introduced the iPhone Duo, its first foldable smartphone, at its annual event on September 9.

Cupertino: Apple introduced the iPhone Duo, its first foldable smartphone, at its annual event on Wednesday, September 9, featuring a new design that combines a large 7.6-inch inner display with a compact 5.4-inch outer display.

Here is everything you need to know about it.

The two displays

Apple claims the iPhone Duo is the thinnest smartphone ever when unfolded. Its 7.6-inch inner display offers a larger canvas for viewing content, gaming and multitasking, and features a premium nano-texture finish to minimise glare and reflections.

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When folded, the device uses 5.4 inches of outer display, which Apple claims provides 90 per cent of the screen area of the iPhone 18 Pro while retaining a compact design.

Both displays share the same aspect ratio, designed around how people use their iPhone, allowing content to scale proportionally between screens and look continuous whether the Duo is closed or open.

The iPhone Duo sports two Super Retina XDR screens. Both support ProMotion, Always On and 3,000 nits of peak outdoor brightness. “Later this year, iPhone Duo will support Apple Pencil with USB-C, allowing users to take notes, sketch, or mark up documents on either display,” Apple said in a press release.

How Apple handled the crease

Apple uses a carbon fibre metal plate beneath the display to manage the stress of bending, allowing internal layers to slide past each other like the pages of a book and preventing deep creases.

Notably, there is no Face ID sensor, likely a concession to the space taken up by the folding mechanism. Instead, the Duo revives Touch ID built into the side power button.

Build and durability

The iPhone Duo is built with a grade 5 titanium frame, retaining the premium quality of the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, with a mirror finish, Ceramic Shield on the back and Ceramic Shield 2 glass on the front, making it three times more scratch resistant than the previous generation. 

The phone also comes with an IP68 rating, making it splash and water resistant.

The cameras

The iPhone Duo features a two-camera rear system with a 48-megapixel Fusion camera for sharp photos, along with a 48-megapixel Fusion Ultra Wide camera to capture wider fields of view. The phone shoots at 24 megapixels by default, offering what Apple describes as a balance between image quality and file size suitable for sharing.

The foldable design with dual displays enables experiences that are not possible on any other iPhone, according to the company. The phone can stand upright on its own to capture group photos automatically, and subjects can preview a shot before the shutter is pressed.

The 48MP Fusion Main camera supports 4K 120fps video recording in Dolby Vision, enabling users to create smooth slow-motion effects while maintaining playback speed. Cinematic effects can also be applied to videos captured at 60fps.

New Siri, Apple Intelligence

Apple has also introduced a new version of Siri, which can now use context from messages, emails and photos while understanding what is on display, and help users with what they need at that moment. According to the company, the all-new Siri is rolling out as a beta version with iOS 27.

Artificial intelligence (AI) features such as image editing and generation will use a combination of on-device processing and Private Cloud Compute to protect users’ data.

A20 Pro chip and thermal management

The iPhone Duo is powered by Apple’s A20 Pro chip, the same processor used in the iPhone 18 Pro models, paired with a thermal management system with a custom vapour chamber to help maintain performance during demanding tasks. Apple claims up to 35 per cent better sustained performance than previous generations.

According to Apple, the 6-core CPU is up to 20 per cent faster than the A19 Pro, and the 7-core GPU is up to 40 per cent faster and more power efficient. The chip has been designed with on-device AI in mind, with its neural engine providing twice the processing capability for Apple Intelligence features.

Battery and charging

The iPhone Duo has been designed with a high-energy battery placed on each side of the device. Apple says the set-up makes better use of the limited internal space while working with the A20 Pro chip.

The phone is rated for up to 31 hours of video playback on the inner display, up to 44 hours on the outer display, and up to 24 hours of usage per charge when both displays are used equally.

Apple also claims the phone can charge up to 50 per cent in around 20 minutes with a wired charger, and up to 50 per cent in around 30 minutes with a wireless MagSafe or Qi2 charger.

Price and availability

The iPhone Duo comes in Star White and Night Sky and is priced at Rs 2,99,900 for 256 GB of storage. Pre-orders begin on October 16, with sales starting a week later on October 23.

It arrives alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, which bring improvements to battery, camera and performance. The iPhone 18 Pro’s price starts at Rs 1,64,900 and the iPhone 18 Pro Max at Rs 1,79,900 in India. Pre-orders start on September 12, with the phones available from September 18.