Technology and Science · 09 September, 2026 · 3 min read
Apple Unveils iPhone Duo Foldable Ahead of September 9 Back-to-School Keynote
iPhone Duo is Apple's first foldable, passport-sized closed with 7.6-inch inner display. Preorders begin Oct 16; shipping starts Oct 23; price starts at $1,999.
Whether the name/identity is settled or still rumour.
2 of 3 outlets skipped it: IP68 water/dust rating may diminish over time.
178outlets compared
Same story, two versions
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01net
“The information now seems official: the first folding iPhone from Apple will not be named Ultra, but Duo.”
Translated from the original.
Read the original ↗01net frames Duo as near-official leak certainty, while 20Minutes leans on “Ultra” suspense and uncertainty.
iPhone Duo leaks
Hours before Apple’s back-to-school keynote on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, Mark Gurman said the first folding iPhone would be named Duo rather than Ultra and would be available starting in October.
“The iPhone Duo will be available starting in October.”
Gurman’s reported price range for the iPhone Duo starts at $2,000 for the 256 GB version and could reach up to $3,000, with storage capacities reaching 2 terabytes.
He also said the device would include an A20 chip, Apple’s C2 modem, a magnetic hinge, and a dual rear 48-megapixel camera with a 12-megapixel front camera.
The iPhone Duo was also described as supporting the Apple Pencil, and 01net said the company’s back-to-school keynote would begin at 7:00 PM (Paris time) on September 9, 2026.0
In the same pre-keynote coverage, 20 Minutes tied the event to John Ternus’s first keynote as CEO, noting it would be held at 7:00 PM French time and referencing Apple’s invitation line, “A new day. Soon.”
Durability and pricing
A separate report on 9to5Google said the iPhone Duo’s IP68 protection is “temporary,” citing Apple’s footnote that the rating is tested under controlled laboratory conditions and that “Splash, water, and dust resistance are not permanent conditions.”
That same 9to5Google piece said the iPhone Duo was tested under IEC standard 60529 with a maximum depth of 6 meters up to 30 minutes, and it contrasted the disclaimer with Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro listings that “don’t mention anything about the water resistance waning.”
In parallel, Al-Bayān said leaks point to an iPhone Ultra foldable priced at 8,000 dirhams and quoted technology expert Ahmed Ali saying keeping battery capacity does not necessarily mean battery life will remain unchanged.
Al-Bayān also said the foldable would use an integrated metal design and an enhanced hinge, and it put the battery around 4,800 mAh while describing leaks that mention 12 GB of RAM and storage options starting at 256 GB and up to 1 TB.
For pricing, Al-Bayān listed estimates of about $1,999 for the 256 GB version, $2,199 for the 512 GB version, and $2,399 for the 1 TB version, while also saying Ali described Apple’s entry as a “calculated gamble.”
What Apple may unveil
Multiple outlets framed the September 9 event as the first major stage under John Ternus, with 20 Minutes saying it would be his first keynote as the new Apple CEO stepping into Tim Cook’s chair.
“Others have designed foldable devices that look like two phones glued together in a strange way.”
Al-Jaridah Ar-Riyadh said Apple unveiled the iPhone Duo during an event at the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, California, and it quoted Ternus saying, “Others have designed foldable devices that look like two phones glued together in a strange way.”
Al-Imarat al-Yawm reported Apple said the iPhone Duo is the thinnest iPhone model ever when opened, with a 7.6-inch Super Retina XDR display and a price starting at 8,499 dirhams.
It also said the iPhone Duo has an A20 Pro processor and a titanium body, supports the Apple Pencil, and is available in white and dark blue, with storage options ranging from 256 GB to 2 TB.
Meanwhile, Al-Jaridah Ar-Riyadh said Apple also revealed the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max and AirPods 5, and it described the iPhone 18 Pro as designed as an AI platform with Apple Intelligence and on-device AI models alongside AI-powered Siri capabilities.