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Apple announced its first folding iPhone today. It's called iPhone Duo, and John Ternus called it "the most transformational change to iPhone since the original". That's a big claim, so let me walk you through what it actually is.
Two screens, one phone
Closed, iPhone Duo is a slim phone with a 5.4-inch screen on the outside. Open it like a book and you get a 7.6-inch screen on the inside, the largest display Apple has ever put on an iPhone. It's closer to a small tablet than a phone when it's open.
Both screens are OLED with ProMotion and Always On, and Apple quotes 3,000 nits of peak outdoor brightness. The inner screen has a nano-texture finish, which Apple says reduces glare and minimises how visible the crease is. Note the word minimise. There is still a fold in the middle.
Open, it's 5.2mm thick, which makes it the thinnest iPhone Apple has ever made. Closed, it's 11.3mm, and it weighs 254g. The body is titanium, the hinge has more than 100 components, and it's rated IP68 for water and dust like the rest of the range.
Touch ID, not Face ID
This is the change that will catch people out. iPhone Duo uses Touch ID built into the side button, not Face ID. Apple says it's so unlocking works the same whether the phone is open or closed. If you've relied on Face ID for years, it's a shift, and if you use Face ID for accessibility reasons, it's worth thinking about before you order.
eSIM only
There's no physical SIM tray. iPhone Duo uses eSIM only, worldwide. Apple lists EE, O2, Vodafone, Three and Sky Mobile as supported in the UK. If you're on a smaller network, check with them before you buy.
Chip, cameras and battery
Inside is the A20 Pro, the same chip as the new iPhone 18 Pro. It's built on a 2 nanometre process and Apple claims up to 35 per cent better sustained performance than the iPhone 17 Pro.
The cameras are a 48MP main and a 48MP ultra wide, with a 2x telephoto crop from the main sensor. There's no dedicated long telephoto lens like the Pro models have. It records 4K video at 120 frames per second, and there are two front cameras: one hidden under the inner screen, and a Center Stage camera on the outside.
The clever bit is what the outer screen does when the phone is open. Duo Preview lets the person you're photographing see themselves on the outer screen while you use the main cameras. Kid Cue plays Peanuts animations on the outside to hold a child's attention for a photo. Small ideas, but the kind that get used.
Battery life depends on which screen you use. Apple quotes up to 44 hours of video on the outer screen, up to 31 hours on the inner one, and up to 24 hours if you split your time between them. Charging gets you to 50 per cent in about 20 minutes with a 60W adapter.
Software built for it
iPhone Duo ships with iOS 27.1, and Apple has reworked the interface for it. The Dock and Lock Screen controls move to the sides so content fills the screen. It's the first iPhone that can run two apps side by side in Split View. StandBy works on either screen without needing a charger. And Apple says Apple Pencil support is coming later this year, on both displays.
Price and dates
256GB: £1,999
512GB: £2,199
1TB: £2,599
2TB: £3,199
Two colours: Star White and Night Sky. Pre-orders open on Friday 16 October at 1pm UK time, and it's available from Friday 23 October. The official case is £79 and the Folio with Kickstand is £129.
Who it's for
I'll be direct. This isn't the iPhone for most of the people I look after, at least not this year. It's a first-generation product at £1,999, it changes how you unlock your phone, and it drops the physical SIM. Those are three things I'd want to see settle down before recommending it to anyone who relies on their phone and doesn't enjoy change.
Who it is for: people who carry an iPhone and an iPad mini and would love one device that does both. People who read, watch and work on their phone and want a bigger canvas without a bigger pocket. And people who want the new thing and have been waiting for Apple to do it properly.
If that's you, I'd still suggest going to see one before you commit. Fold it, feel the crease, try Touch ID. If it's not you, the iPhone 18 Pro and the iPhone 17 are both very good phones, and I've written about who should upgrade.
Questions about whether it fits how you use your phone? Book a session or send me a message. No pressure either way.
