iPhone Duo is expected to be Apple’s first foldable iPhone. The company announced the foldable smartphone alongside the new iPhone 18 Pro at its annual September event at Apple Park in Cupertino, California.
Apple is entering the foldable phone market years after Samsung launched the original Galaxy Fold in 2019. Since then, manufacturers including Honor, Google, Motorola, and Oppo have released their own foldable smartphones. Newer foldable phones are becoming thinner, lighter, more durable, and easier to use.
The iPhone Duo features a book-style design similar to Samsung’s latest Galaxy Z Fold8 and Google’s first Pixel Fold. This “passport-style” foldable iPhone is shorter and wider than many early foldable models, making it well suited for streaming video and other media. Its wider display can reduce the thick black bars, or letterboxing, often seen when watching TV shows and movies on foldable screens.
Apple’s entry could help revive the foldable smartphone market, which has declined for five consecutive quarters. According to IDC, the market is expected to fall 13% compared with the previous year. Nabila Popal, a senior research director at IDC, says foldable phones could capture as much as 30 percent of the market by the end of 2026. Even so, foldable smartphones remain a niche product and are expected to account for about 2% of the global smartphone market by the end of this year.
Popal said a recent IDC survey asked consumers whether they would consider buying a foldable smartphone during their next upgrade. About 60% said they were unlikely to purchase one. However, when respondents were asked whether Apple would eventually release a foldable iPhone, nearly 33% said the company would “definitely” launch one.
“Apple has a very strong market pull,” Popal told WIRED. She added that many consumers were unaware of memory price increases until Apple announced a price increase. The arrival of the iPhone Duo could generate renewed interest in foldable phones and benefit consumers by increasing competition and expanding their choices.
Durability and repairability remain key concerns for the iPhone Duo. Foldable phones are often more vulnerable to damage than traditional smartphones and can be difficult to repair. Elizabeth Chamberlain, director of sustainability at iFixit, told WIRED that her team has never disassembled a foldable device that was genuinely repairable.
“Manufacturers have come a long way since the original Galaxy Fold launched,” she said. “However, greater durability has not been matched by improved repairability.”
This is a developing story. Check back for the latest iPhone Duo and foldable iPhone updates.
Source: www.wired.com