Apple's first foldable iPhone costs $1,999 and ships in October

Apple unveiled iPhone Duo on September 9, its first foldable iPhone, at the first product event led by John Ternus as chief executive.

The phone starts at $1,999. Pre-orders open October 16 and it goes on sale October 23, according to Apple.

Before the event, reports had suggested the price would exceed $2,000. The base model landed one dollar under that line.

What Apple announced

iPhone Duo uses a book-style design. Closed, it has a 5.4-inch outer display. Open, it has a single 7.6-inch inner display, and Apple says it is the thinnest iPhone it has made.

It runs on the A20 Pro chip, uses a grade 5 titanium frame and comes with 256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB of storage, in two colors.

Ternus called it the most transformational change to iPhone since the original, according to Apple's announcement.

Apple is entering foldables years after its rivals

Samsung released its first Galaxy Fold in 2019. Huawei, Google and several Chinese smartphone makers have since shipped multiple generations of foldable devices.

Foldables still make up a small share of overall smartphone sales. Apple's entry could bring far more attention to the category, but that depends on how the phone handles the problems foldables have struggled with: durability, visible creases, thickness and price.

Those questions will be answered by reviews and buyers after October 23, not by the launch event.

The rest of the lineup

Apple also introduced iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, AirPods 5, Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 at the same event.