Barely a week after entering the foldable phone race, Apple already appears to be eyeing a much bigger play.
The iPhone Duo, set to hit shelves on October 23, could be the first of several foldable models Apple has in the pipeline, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who expects the lineup to eventually expand well beyond a single device.
Gurman is notably bullish on the device's prospects despite its steep price, predicting it will become the "predominant foldable phone on the market" and forecasting that it will "go down as one of the company's historic products, eventually turning foldable phones into the new normal".
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A Bigger Duo Max Could Be Next
Topping the list of likely follow-ups is a Duo Max, expected to pack a larger foldable display, though whether Apple stretches the screen taller or wider remains unclear. Such a device would give Apple a sharper answer to competitors like Samsung and Google, who already offer multiple foldable sizes.
The naming choice itself may hint at this broader strategy: Gurman suggests Apple settled on "Duo" over the earlier rumored "Ultra" precisely because a short, three-letter name leaves room to expand into a full family of devices, following the same logic behind names like "Air" and "Pro."
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SE And Mini Variants Could Target Different Buyers
Beyond a bigger model, Apple may also go smaller and cheaper. A rumored Duo SE could give budget-conscious buyers a way into the foldable category without the flagship price tag, likely accomplished by scaling back on internals and cutting some premium extras rather than through a redesign.
The Duo Mini looks like the more unconventional bet: Gurman connects the name to a possible clamshell form factor, a sharp departure from the book-style fold of the current Duo, which would put Apple in more direct competition with compact flip phones rather than other large-screen foldables.
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Specifics Still Scarce, But Third-Gen Upgrades Already Rumored
None of this is confirmed in any detail yet, and Gurman hasn't laid out specifications for any of these potential models. He has, however, floated one concrete prediction further down the line: a third-generation iPhone Duo could eventually gain Face ID and a telephoto camera, suggesting Apple's foldable ambitions extend well past this first release.
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