Technology and Science · 09 September, 2026 · 2 min read
Mark Gurman Reveals iPhone Duo Features, Pricing Ahead of Apple’s September 9 Keynote
iPhone Duo is Apple's first foldable iPhone, passport-sized when closed. Opened, it features a 7.6-inch inner display and two screens.
185 outlets, one story, no spin found.
4 of 6 outlets skipped it: IP68 rating is explicitly time-limited (won’t last forever).
185outlets compared
Duo leak ahead of keynote
Hours before Apple’s back-to-school keynote, Mark Gurman of Bloomberg revealed the main features of the folding iPhone, saying the device would be named Duo rather than Ultra.
“The iPhone Duo will be available starting in October.”
Gurman’s leak put the iPhone Duo’s price at $2,000 for the 256 GB version, with other versions reaching up to $3,000, and said it would be available starting in October.
The report also said the iPhone Duo would include a new A20 chip, Apple’s C2 modem, a magnetic hinge, and a dual rear 48-megapixel camera with a 12-megapixel front camera.
Gurman further said the iPhone Duo would support the Apple Pencil, and 01net framed the information as coming from Gurman’s account on X, with the post dated September 9, 2026.
The same 01net article tied the event to Apple’s keynote schedule, stating that on September 9, 2026, at 7:00 PM (Paris time), the back-to-school keynote would begin.
Ternus unveils Duo
At Apple’s event at the Steve Jobs Theater, new CEO John Ternus introduced the foldable iPhone Duo as part of the company’s latest iPhone lineup.
ABC7 Bay Area reported that Ternus told the audience, "actually there is one more thing," in a nod to the trademark phrase from Jobs that Jobs himself borrowed from the 1970s detective show "Columbo."
The same report said the Duo opens to a 7.6 inch display that is 80% larger than the newest iPhone 18 Pro, and that it would let people use an Apple Pencil on the phone.
ABC7 Bay Area also said the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max would start at $1,199 and $1,299, respectively, while the Duo starts at $1,999.
It added that customers can preorder starting on Sept. 12 and that the Duo will be available on Oct. 23, with the event framed as Ternus’s first keynote after taking over from Tim Cook on Sept. 1.
Durability and IP68 caveat
After the Duo’s launch, 9to5Google highlighted that the iPhone Duo’s IP68 protection comes with a temporary caveat, noting that Apple’s listing says the rating won’t last forever.
“Splash, water, and dust resistance are not permanent conditions”
9to5Google quoted Apple’s footnote that "Splash, water, and dust resistance are not permanent conditions," and said the rating was tested under controlled laboratory conditions with a rating of IP68 under IEC standard 60529.
The outlet also said the iPhone Duo was tested to a maximum depth of 6 meters up to 30 minutes, and that resistance might decrease due to normal wear over time.
9to5Google compared the approach to Google’s foldables, saying Google’s own footnote explains that dust and water protection rating IP68 under IEC standard 60529 applies when each device leaves the factory.
It further noted that Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro listings do not mention water resistance waning, while Honor’s Magic V6 foldable includes a similar disclaimer that protective performance may decrease due to daily wear and tear.