Apple has unveiled its first foldable smartphone, the “iPhone Duo.” It features a 19.3 cm internal display and a 13.6 cm external display, with the domestic release price starting at KRW3.29 million. (Refer to page 2 of ETnews September 8 edition)
Apple held a new product launch event at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, on September 9 (local time) and showcased the iPhone Duo. It is a fold-type product that unfolds horizontally, offering a 19.3 cm Super Retina XDR display when unfolded. The screen size is 50% larger than that of the iPhone 18 Pro Max. On the exterior, it is equipped with a 13.6 cm display.
Both the internal and external displays apply the same aspect ratio, ensuring seamless content transitions when folding or unfolding the device. Both screens support ProMotion and a peak partial brightness of up to 3,000 nits. Apple Pencil (USB-C) support is also scheduled to be added within the year.
The product applies Grade 5 titanium material and a hinge consisting of more than 100 parts. It features Ceramic Shield 2 on the front and supports IP68-rated water and dust resistance. Biometric authentication uses Touch ID integrated into the side button.
Apple's 2-nanometer process “A20 Pro” chip is also built in. It applies a 6-core CPU, a 7-core GPU, and a dual 16-core Neural Engine, and comes equipped with a vapor chamber-based thermal management system. The battery features a dual-battery structure placed on both sides of the device. According to Apple's standards, video playback time reaches up to 31 hours when using only the internal screen and up to 44 hours when using only the external screen.
The camera setup consists of a 48-megapixel Fusion main camera and a 48-megapixel ultra-wide camera. Utilizing the foldable structure, users can take selfies with the rear camera while checking the composition on the external screen, or allow subjects to see a real-time preview through the external display. It also supports “Smart Capture,” an feature where on-device AI recognizes the subject's pose and automatically takes the photo.
The operating system runs iOS 27 customized for the foldable screen. It supports “Split View”—allowing two apps to run simultaneously for the first time on an iPhone—and certain apps such as Safari can be executed with two separate windows. Third-party apps such as Netflix, Zoom, and Slack have also been optimized for the large display.
AI capabilities have also been enhanced. “Siri AI” searches for information based on the user's personal context—such as messages, emails, and photos—or performs relevant tasks by recognizing content displayed on the screen. Apple Intelligence supports Korean, and Siri AI's Korean language support is scheduled for October.
With Apple entering the foldable market, competition in the premium foldable smartphone market, which has been led by Samsung Electronics, is expected to intensify further. In particular, despite the high starting price of KRW3.29 million, how much replacement demand it can extract from existing iPhone users is considered key to its initial success.
The iPhone Duo will be released in two colors: Star White and Night Sky. Storage options include 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB, with the domestic price starting at KRW3.29 million. Pre-orders will begin at 9:00 p.m. on October 16 in more than 70 countries, including South Korea, with sales officially launching on October 23.
