The most expensive iPhone Apple has made is also its first one that folds. According to Tom’s Guide, the iPhone Duo starts at $1,999 for 256GB of storage, which is $700 more than the iPhone 18 Pro Max.
BGR lists the Duo among the October launches to watch. Pre-orders are open. Most of what has been published so far is hands-on impressions and buying guides, not long-term test results, so verdicts here are provisional.
What you get
Notebookcheck’s roundup of the phone’s specifications describes a 7.6-inch OLED main display and a 5.4-inch cover screen. Both run at 120 Hz. The same page says reviewers have praised the polished design, the large displays and the software tuning for the folding form.
Battery and charging figures come from Apple’s own ratings, as reported by Tom’s Guide. Apple rates the phone for up to 44 hours of video playback on the outer display and 31 hours on the main display. A 60W charger should take it to 50% in 20 minutes. Qi2 wireless charging reaches 50% in 30 minutes.
These are manufacturer claims. Independent battery tests will show whether they hold up.
The early mood
The hands-on coverage is enthusiastic. Tom’s Guide ran a first-look piece with a headline saying Apple had “nailed it”. Android Authority, a site that mostly covers Google’s platform, published impressions from a writer who said he was impressed despite being an Android user. Those pieces came after short sessions with the phone, and Android Authority itself noted that more testing is needed.
The AppleInsider forum’s hands-on piece reported that, unlike the iPhone Air, the Duo supports Cinematic Mode. It also said the half-folded position worked well for watching video and typing.
The catch
Price is the obvious one. Tom’s Guide’s pre-order guide lists the cost among its reasons to skip, alongside another concern: the lack of a telephoto lens. The guide says the camera experience as a whole will be weaker than on Apple’s top Pro models.
That is a real trade-off for anyone who buys a flagship partly for its cameras. Android Authority’s impressions suggest the front camera suits casual FaceTime and video calls better than selfies or portraits, though that was an early observation.
The Duo’s pitch is a small iPhone that opens into a tablet-sized screen. For people who want that, the sources suggest Apple has built it well. For everyone else, a $1,299 iPhone 18 Pro Max, the price implied by Tom’s Guide’s comparison, offers a better camera for $700 less.
What to watch
Three questions will not be answered until full reviews arrive. One is how visible the inner-screen crease is. Another is how the hinge holds up over months of use. The third is whether real-world battery life matches Apple’s ratings.
Until then, the available coverage reads as strong on design and software, and cautious on price and photography.