iPhone Duo: Apple’s first foldable iPhone costs $3,499 in Australia and is eSIM-only
Key takeaways
- Apple has revealed its first-ever foldable iPhone, and it's called the iPhone Duo, not the iPhone Fold or iPhone Ultra that nearly every rumour predicted.
- It starts at $3,499 in Australia, which makes it the most expensive iPhone Apple has ever sold. Pre-orders open at 11pm AEST on Friday 16 October, with phones on sale from Friday 23 October.
- It opens to a 7.6-inch screen, the largest display ever on an iPhone, runs the same A20 Pro chip as the iPhone 18 Pro and is eSIM-only worldwide.
- Apple also unveiled the all-new iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, which you can read about in our separate roundup. HINT: Prices have gone up.
Apple has finally made a foldable iPhone and landed on a name that's come as a surprise.
Wait, it's called the iPhone Duo?
It is. Nearly every leak and rumour had the foldable pegged as the iPhone Fold at first and then iPhone Ultra.
However, the new name looks to be a nod to the two-screens-in-one design, though name aside, it's the biggest change to the iPhone in years.
Apple's CEO John Ternus called it "the most transformational change to iPhone since the original."
iPhone Duo price, colours and release date in Australia
The iPhone Duo starts at $3,499 for the 256GB model, and also comes in 512GB, 1TB and 2TB.
That $3,499 starting price makes it comfortably the priciest iPhone yet, well above the $2,299 starting price of the iPhone 18 Pro Max.
| Model | Australian RRP |
|---|---|
Apple iPhone Duo 256GB | $3,499 |
Apple iPhone Duo 512GB | $3,899 |
Apple iPhone Duo 1TB | $4,699 |
Apple iPhone Duo 2TB | $5,899 |
For comparison, Samsung's new Galaxy Z Fold 8 starts at $2,699.
It comes in two colours: star white and night sky.
Pre-orders open at 11pm AEST on Friday 16 October, with the phone going on sale on Friday 23 October.
If you buy one, new and returning subscribers can also get 3 months of Apple One for free from 17 September.
There are two new accessories as well: an iPhone Duo Case for $119, and an iPhone Duo Folio with a built-in kickstand for $199.
iPhone Duo design and durability
Apple's whole idea behind the design is one device that works as two.
It looks roughly the size of a passport with two rounded corners, so you can comfortably use it one-handed and slip it right into your pocket - very similar to Samsung's new Galaxy Z Fold 8 in terms of form factor.
The iPhone Duo has a 5.4-inch outer screen that gives you 90% of the screen area of an iPhone 18 Pro.
Open it up and you get a 7.6-inch inner display, which is 50% bigger than the iPhone 18 Pro Max.
In this open state, it's also the thinnest iPhone Apple has ever made.
Both screens share the same shape, so whatever you're looking at should scale up or down as you open and close the phone.
There's also a special nano-texture finish on the inner display, which cuts down on glare and reflections and helps hide the crease where it folds.
Other bits and bobs worth knowing:
- Both screens have ProMotion for smoother scrolling, Always On display and up to 3,000 nits of brightness, making them easier to see outdoors.
- There's a FaceTime camera hidden under the inner display so it doesn't interrupt the screen.
- Touch ID is built into the side button.
- You can unlock the phone with your Apple Watch.
- Apple Pencil support is coming later this year for taking notes or marking up documents on either screen.
- The frame is grade 5 titanium with a mirror-polished finish and a 3D-printed hinge cover.
- The front uses Ceramic Shield 2, which Apple says has three times the scratch resistance of the previous generation, and the back is protected by Ceramic Shield.
- It carries an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.
Performance and battery
The iPhone Duo comes with the A20 Pro, the same chip as the iPhone 18 Pro, paired with a custom vapour chamber for cooling.
According to Apple, it delivers up to 35% better sustained performance than the iPhone 17 Pro, so it can hold its speed during gaming or heavy multitasking.
The folding iPhone has two batteries, one on each side, that work together to power the phone.
You can get up to 31 hours of video playback on the inner screen or 44 hours on the outer screen, with up to 24 hours of general use when you're using both screens equally.
It can also charge to 50% in around 20 minutes with a wired charger, or about 30 minutes wirelessly with a MagSafe or Qi2 charger.
Camera
There's a 48MP Fusion main camera with a built-in 2x telephoto, and a 48MP Fusion ultra-wide, the same one as the iPhone 18 Pro, that also handles macro shots.
The front camera also uses Centre Stage, so it can grab a landscape selfie without you turning the phone sideways.
It shoots 4K video at up to 120fps for slow motion; you can add Cinematic effects after filming, and you can prop it up to record hands-free without a tripod.
You also get some fun features such as Duo FaceTime, which lets the people with you join a video call on the outer screen, so nobody has to crowd around one side.
iOS 27 makes the most of the bigger screen
iOS 27 has been tweaked for the iPhone Duo, with controls moving to the side to give you more room for whatever you're doing.
The interface also responds as you fold, flip or turn the phone.
The bigger screen also makes multitasking much more useful as you can open apps side by side with Split View.
You can also have two windows of the same app open, which could be handy for comparing two things in Safari, and save app pairs so you can jump back into them later.
StandBy gets a useful upgrade, too.
You can prop the phone up and use it as a clock, photo frame or widget hub even when it's not charging.
Apps including Netflix, Zoom and Slack have also been updated to make better use of the bigger display.
And, of course, you get Siri AI and the rest of Apple Intelligence, with the same new AI features coming to the iPhone 18 Pro range.
The iPhone Duo is eSIM-only
The iPhone Duo is eSIM-only everywhere in the world, with no physical SIM tray.
This was done to free up internal space for those bigger batteries.
The good news is that the majority of providers in our database support eSIM, so you shouldn't feel too restricted when choosing a mobile plan for the iPhone Duo.
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