Apple is set to make a major entry into the foldable smartphone market, with its first foldable iPhone reportedly taking centre stage at the company's September 9 launch event.
According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple's first foldable could be called the iPhone Duo. The book-style device is expected to feature a large internal display and could start at around $2,000, making it one of the most expensive mainstream iPhones ever.
Gurman's latest report, released ahead of Apple's “Surprise and Shine” event, says the iPhone Duo could start with 256GB of storage. A top-end version is reportedly expected to cost close to $3,000 and offer as much as 2TB of storage.
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The steep price is partly linked to rising component costs, particularly memory. Apple is reportedly planning to absorb some of those higher costs instead of passing the entire increase on to customers.
The reported iPhone Duo is expected to use a book-style folding design, with an external display of around 5.5 inches and a larger 7.8-inch internal screen.
The device could also support the Apple Pencil, potentially bringing stylus functionality to the iPhone for the first time. It remains unclear whether existing Apple Pencil models will work with the foldable or whether Apple will introduce a dedicated version.
Other reported specifications include Apple's A20 Pro chip, an ultra-thin design and Touch ID instead of Face ID.
Apple is reportedly keeping the colour choices simple. The iPhone Duo could launch in just dark blue and white, with no black variant at launch.
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Although the foldable is expected to be unveiled on September 9, Gurman's report suggests it may not hit stores immediately. Manufacturing challenges associated with the complex foldable design could push the retail launch to October.
The iPhone Duo is not expected to be the only major announcement. Apple is also tipped to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, alongside updates to the AirPods and Apple Watch line-ups.
Apple has not confirmed any of these reports. The company's September 9 event begins at 10:30 PM IST, when the final details are expected to be revealed.
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