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iPhone Duo: Price, Release Date and Specs of Apple's First Foldable

Pre-orders open October 16, sales start October 23. What the iPhone Duo costs in the US and Germany, what is inside, and how it compares with Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8.

CAESVRA JournalOctober 16, 20263 min read

For years the question was not whether Apple would make a foldable iPhone, but when. The answer is the iPhone Duo. Apple announced it on September 9, 2026, pre-orders open today, October 16, and the first phones reach buyers on October 23.

Here is everything that is confirmed so far.

The short version

  • Name: iPhone Duo. Not "iPhone Fold", not "iPhone Ultra". Those were rumor names.
  • Pre-orders: October 16, 2026, from 5 a.m. Pacific time.
  • Release date: October 23 in more than 70 countries, including the US, UK, Germany, Japan and India. 28 more countries follow on October 30.
  • Price: from $1,999 in the US and from €2,299 in Germany.
  • Form: opens like a book. 7.6-inch screen inside, 5.4-inch screen outside.

Price in the US and Germany

StorageUS price
256 GB$1,999
512 GB$2,199
1 TB$2,599
2 TB$3,199

In Germany, Apple lists the iPhone Duo from €2,299 including VAT. German outlets report €2,549, €3,049 and €3,799 for the larger versions. Check Apple's German store before you order.

For comparison: the iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199 and the Pro Max at $1,299, each $100 more than last year.

Specs at a glance

  • Screens: 7.6 inches inside, 5.4 inches outside, both up to 120 Hz.
  • Thickness: 5.2 mm open, 11.3 mm closed. Apple calls it the thinnest iPhone ever when open.
  • Weight: 254 grams.
  • Chip: A20 Pro, built on a 2-nanometer process.
  • Battery: one cell on each side of the fold.
  • Cameras: 48 MP main, 48 MP ultra wide, 12 MP 2x telephoto, plus a selfie camera under the inner screen.
  • Unlock: Touch ID in the side button. There is no Face ID.
  • Build: titanium, rated IP68, eSIM only, ships with iOS 27.
  • Colors: Star White and Night Sky.
  • Apple Pencil: support for the USB-C Pencil comes later.

One catch for Europe: Apple says its new Siri AI features will not be available in the EU at launch.

iPhone Duo vs. Galaxy Z Fold 8

Samsung showed the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and a taller Fold 8 Ultra in July. The Fold 8 starts at about $1,899, the Ultra at $2,099. That makes the iPhone Duo slightly more expensive than Samsung's standard Fold. One clear difference on paper: Tom's Guide notes Samsung's foldables are rated IP48, while the iPhone Duo is rated IP68, which means much better protection against dust.

Early impressions

Full reviews are not out yet. Hands-on reports from Tom's Guide and Android Central praise the design and how hard the crease is to see. The price and the weight get the most criticism.

Will it be hard to get?

Probably. Analyst Jeff Pu lowered his 2026 estimate to 6 million units because of hinge production issues, 9to5Mac reported. A Chinese report later said Apple raised its orders by 30%. Both are estimates, not Apple numbers. If you want one on day one, pre-order early.

Before and after

Phones have looked the same for almost twenty years: one slab of glass. Apple rarely is first. It tends to arrive when a category is ready, and then the category changes around it. Whether the iPhone Duo is that moment for foldables, we will know by Christmas.

More from this week's cuts: the Tesla Roadster finally has a date.

Sources

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