What The Tech: A look at Apple’s new foldable I-phone
BY JAMEY TUCKER, Consumer Tech Reporter
Apple has finally introduced a foldable iPhone, and it comes with one of the biggest changes to
the iPhone since the original debuted nearly 20 years ago.
It also comes with a very big price tag. Apple unveiled the iPhone Duo on September 9. It is the company’s first foldable smartphone, giving users a device that can work like a compact iPhone when closed and something closer to an iPad Mini when opened.
The iPhone Duo starts at $1,999.
Closed, the Duo has a 5.4-inch outside display and is roughly the size of a U.S. passport. Open
it and you get a 7.6-inch folding OLED screen, the largest display Apple has ever put on an
iPhone. That larger screen opens up some things traditional iPhones cannot do as easily. Users can run two apps side by side, such as watching a video while checking email, browsing the web or
having a conversation in another app.
The Duo is also the first iPhone to support the Apple Pencil. Because the phone can remain partially folded, it can essentially serve as its own stand for watching videos, making FaceTime calls or taking group photos without having to prop the phone against something.
The phone uses Apple’s new A20 Pro processor and includes two 48-megapixel rear cameras.
Apple says the foldable design also allows someone being photographed to see a preview of
the picture on the outside screen.
The Duo comes in Star White and Night Sky and is available with 256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB of storage. Apple says the phone is water and dust resistant with an IP68 rating. Pre-orders for the iPhone Duo begin October 16, with phones arriving in stores October 23.
A new CEO introduces a very different iPhone
The event was also notable because it was the first major Apple product launch under CEO
John Ternus. Former CEO Tim Cook made a brief cameo during the opening video before turning the presentation over to Ternus.
The change in leadership coincided with one of Apple’s biggest hardware gambles in years.
Samsung, Google and other manufacturers have sold foldable smartphones for years, while
Apple remained on the sidelines. Now Apple is betting its customers are ready for one too, even at a starting price nearly twice that of many traditional premium smartphones.
iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max
Apple also introduced the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199, while the Pro Max begins at $1,299. Both start with 256GB of storage and are powered by the same A20 Pro chip used in the Duo. One of the biggest camera upgrades is a new 48-megapixel main camera with a variable aperture, allowing the camera to adjust how much light enters the lens. Apple also says the phones deliver better sustained performance and improved battery life.
The Pro Max gets the largest battery-life increase of the two models.
Pre-orders begin September 12, with the phones going on sale September 18. New Apple Watches focus on health Apple introduced the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4.
The Series 12 starts at $399 and adds a new health-sensing system capable of taking heart rate
and heart-rate-variability measurements more frequently. It also introduces a new “readiness”
score designed to help users determine how prepared their body may be for exercise or other
activity.
Apple Watch Ultra 4 starts at $799 and includes the same new health features along with longer
battery life. Apple says it can track outdoor workouts for up to 45 hours.
Both watches are available for pre-order now and go on sale September 18.
AirPods 5 get noise cancellation. Apple also introduced AirPods 5. The standard version costs $129 and, for the first time at that price, includes Active Noise Cancellation in Apple’s open-ear AirPods design. Apple says the noise cancellation removes up to 50 percent more outside noise than AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation. AirPods 5 also support Live Translation when used with a compatible iPhone and Apple Intelligence.
A $149 version adds a wireless charging case, longer battery life and volume controls on the
stems. Both versions can be ordered now and will be available beginning September 18.
But despite all of the new products, the device likely to get the most attention is the iPhone Duo.
Apple has spent years watching other companies experiment with folding smartphones. Now it
is entering the market with a device that can be both one of Apple’s smallest iPhones when closed and its largest when opened.
The bigger question is whether enough people will decide that convenience is worth $2,000
