Apple has unveiled the iPhone Duo, its first foldable handset, priced from £1,999 to £3,199.
The company presented the device as a premium alternative to its standard iPhones.
The tech giant claimed the Duo as a genuinely new form factor, a book-style handset with a 5.4in outer display and a 7.6in inner screen.
The device supports the Apple Pencil, is built from titanium, and runs on an A20 Pro chipset intended to power smoother multitasking between apps.
Notably, the iPhone Duo uses Touch ID for unlocking rather than Face ID, and ships in just two colours.
Its top-end pricing positions it above most rival foldable phones already on the market.
Ternus's transformation?
The launch was led from Cupertino and promoted as a major design shift for the company.
"iPhone Duo is the most transformational change to iPhone since the original," chief executive John Ternus said at the Surprise and Shine event, framing the product as a long-term platform shift rather than a one-off release.
Internet disagrees
Reaction on social media was swift and blunt.
Users called the iPhone Duo "ugly" and "awkward", while also mocking the handset's name.
Some commentators went further, questioning the device's practical appeal beyond its novelty as Apple's first folding phone.
A decade in the making
The debut caps a multi-year effort to build a foldable iPhone, described by reporters as a decade in the making.
It also arrives as Apple's new chief executive John Ternus faces early scrutiny over both hardware and AI strategy in his first major product launch.
Alongside the Duo, Apple also unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, together with new Apple Watches and AirPods, rounding out one of the company's busiest product events in years.
