At its annual September gathering, Apple crossed a threshold it had long approached but never stepped through — the foldable phone — unveiling the iPhone Duo alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. These devices arrive not merely as incremental refinements but as a statement about where personal technology is heading: screens that expand, cameras that think, and connectivity that no longer requires a physical card. For India, where pricing begins at ₹1,64,900 and eSIM becomes the only path forward, the announcement marks both an invitation and a quiet demand to adapt.
Apple launches iPhone Duo foldable alongside iPhone 18 Pro models in India
The largest screen Apple has ever put on an iPhone
Mark
So Apple finally made a foldable. What took them so long?
Mimi
They were waiting for the technology to mature—the hinge, the displays, the software. The Duo's hinge has over 100 components. That's not something you rush.
Luke
But we should note: this is Apple's first foldable. Samsung and others have been shipping these for years. Apple isn't pioneering the category; they're entering it.
Mark
What makes the Duo different, then?
Mimi
The inner display is 7.6 inches, which is genuinely large. And both screens have the same aspect ratio, so apps scale proportionally. The outer screen is 5.4 inches—Apple says it gives you 90 percent of the usable area of the Pro.
Luke
That 90 percent figure comes from Apple. We don't have independent verification of what that means in practice.
Mark
Fair. What about the price?
Mimi
The base model is ₹2,99,900 for 256GB. That's expensive, but it's a first-generation foldable from Apple. The Pro starts at ₹1,64,900.
Luke
So you're paying roughly double for the foldable form factor. The question is whether the software justifies that—whether iOS 27 actually uses the extra screen space in ways that matter.
Mark
Does it?
Mimi
Apple has redesigned iOS for the foldable with side-mounted controls, dual Home Screen pages, and Split View multitasking. There's also an upgraded StandBy mode. But we won't know how well that works until people actually use it.
Luke
Exactly. The hardware specs are clear. The software experience is still theoretical.
Mark
What about the eSIM-only thing?
Mimi
All three phones are eSIM-only in India. No physical SIM slot. Apple says over 500 carriers support it, including the big three here—Airtel, Jio, Vi.
Luke
That's a significant shift. It eliminates a choice for users. If your carrier doesn't support eSIM, you're locked out. Apple is betting the infrastructure is ready. We'll see if that bet holds.
Mark
When can people actually buy these?
Mimi
The Pro models go up for pre-order September 12, available September 18. The Duo pre-orders start October 16, available October 23.
The Pulse
- Apple has finally entered the foldable market, and the iPhone Duo's 7.6-inch inner display — the largest ever on an iPhone — signals the company is no longer content to watch rivals define the category.
- The shift to eSIM-only across all three models in India is the most disruptive move for everyday users, forcing a break from physical SIM cards and requiring digital activation through Airtel, Jio, or Vi.
- The iPhone 18 Pro's variable aperture camera — a first for Apple — hands photographers a level of manual control that was previously unthinkable on an iPhone, while the Pro Max stretches battery life to 45 hours.
- Apple Intelligence deepens its roots in iOS 27, with Siri now drawing on personal messages, emails, and photos to answer questions entirely on-device, raising the stakes in the AI assistant race without sending user data to the cloud.
- Pro models are available for pre-order September 12 with shipping September 18, while the Duo follows on October 16 with delivery October 23, giving the market a staggered but imminent reckoning with Apple's most ambitious hardware lineup in years.
At its annual September gathering, Apple crossed a threshold it had long approached but never stepped through — the foldable phone — unveiling the iPhone Duo alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. These devices arrive not merely as incremental refinements but as a statement about where personal technology is heading: screens that expand, cameras that think, and connectivity that no longer requires a physical card. For India, where pricing begins at ₹1,64,900 and eSIM becomes the only path forward, the announcement marks both an invitation and a quiet demand to adapt.
Apple has stepped into the foldable phone era with the iPhone Duo, a device that folds down to a 5.4-inch screen yet opens to a 7.6-inch display — the largest the company has ever shipped on an iPhone. The announcement came alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, making this one of Apple's most consequential hardware moments in recent memory.
The Duo is built from grade 5 titanium with a hinge containing over 100 components and ceramic fiber inserts, carrying an IP68 rating. Its inner display uses a nano-texture finish to reduce glare and houses an under-display camera for FaceTime. Apple claims the outer screen delivers 90 percent of the usable area of the iPhone 18 Pro. Both displays support ProMotion and reach 3,000 nits of brightness. In India, the Duo arrives in Star White and Night Sky, with storage from 256GB at ₹2,99,900 to 2TB at ₹4,49,900. Pre-orders open October 16, with shipping October 23.
The camera system on the Duo matches the Pro ambition — a 48MP Fusion main lens, 48MP ultra-wide, and a front camera capable of 4K at 120fps in Dolby Vision. Fold-specific software features include Smart Take for optimized shots and Duo Preview for viewing images across both screens. Battery life reaches 31 hours on the inner display or 44 hours on the outer. The A20 Pro chip, built on a 2-nanometer process, powers all three devices.
The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max arrive first, with pre-orders September 12 and availability September 18. Their headline feature is a 48MP Fusion camera with variable aperture — four settings controlled by a six-blade mechanism, a first for Apple. The Dynamic Island has been slimmed down while gaining the ability to show three live activities at once. The Pro Max offers 45 hours of video playback; the Pro reaches 36 hours. India pricing starts at ₹1,64,900 for the Pro and ₹1,79,900 for the Pro Max.
All three models run iOS 27 with Apple Intelligence, an on-device AI system that allows Siri to draw on personal messages, emails, and photos without sending data to Apple's servers. The Pro models feature a redesigned vapor chamber enabling 40 percent higher sustained performance, with a GPU 40 percent faster than the previous generation. Connectivity relies on Apple's N1 wireless chip supporting Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, paired with a new C2 modem that uploads faster while using 15 percent less energy. Critically, all three phones are eSIM-only in India — a decisive break from physical SIM cards, supported by Airtel, Jio, and Vi.
Apple has entered the foldable phone market with the iPhone Duo, a device that unfolds to reveal a 7.6-inch display—the largest screen the company has ever put on an iPhone. The announcement came alongside two new flagship models, the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, all three arriving in India this fall with aggressive pricing and a significant shift toward eSIM-only connectivity.
The iPhone Duo represents Apple's most dramatic hardware departure in years. When folded, it presents a 5.4-inch outer screen that Apple claims delivers 90 percent of the usable screen area of the iPhone 18 Pro, yet the inner display expands to nearly tablet proportions. Both screens share the same aspect ratio, support the company's ProMotion technology for smooth scrolling, and reach 3,000 nits of peak brightness. The inner display uses a nano-texture finish designed to reduce glare, and houses an under-display camera for FaceTime calls. The device is built from grade 5 titanium with a mirror-polished finish, reinforced by a hinge containing over 100 components and ceramic fiber inserts. It carries an IP68 water and dust resistance rating. In India, the Duo will be available in Star White and Night Sky, with storage options ranging from 256GB at ₹2,99,900 to 2TB at ₹4,49,900. Pre-orders begin October 16, with devices shipping October 23 in India and more than 70 countries.
The camera system on the Duo matches the Pro models in ambition: a 48MP Fusion main camera, a 48MP ultra-wide lens, and a Center Stage front camera capable of 4K video at 120 frames per second in Dolby Vision. Apple has added fold-specific software features including Smart Take, which optimizes shots for the foldable form, Duo Preview for seeing images across both screens, and Kid Cue, a feature designed for child safety. The device runs iOS 27, redesigned with side-mounted controls and a dual Home Screen layout. Battery life reaches 31 hours of video playback on the inner display, 44 hours on the outer display, or 24 hours of mixed use. The Duo is powered by Apple's A20 Pro chip, a 2-nanometer processor with a 6-core CPU, 7-core GPU, and dual 16-core Neural Engines.
The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max arrive earlier, with pre-orders starting September 12 and availability beginning September 18. Both phones introduce a 48MP Fusion main camera with variable aperture—the first time Apple has offered manual aperture control on an iPhone. The system uses a six-blade mechanism with four aperture settings that can adjust automatically based on lighting and depth of field. The Dynamic Island, Apple's notch replacement, has been redesigned to occupy less space while displaying more information, including up to three live activities simultaneously. The Pro Max reaches 45 hours of video playback, while the Pro offers 36 hours on eSIM-only models. The Pro can charge to 50 percent in 15 minutes via wire or 30 minutes wirelessly. India pricing for the Pro starts at ₹1,64,900 for 256GB, climbing to ₹3,14,900 for 2TB. The Pro Max begins at ₹1,79,900 and reaches ₹3,29,900 for the largest storage tier.
All three models run the A20 Pro chip and ship with iOS 27, which includes Apple Intelligence—the company's on-device AI system. Siri gains the ability to understand personal context from messages, emails, and photos, as well as on-screen content, allowing it to answer questions and perform actions without sending data to Apple's servers. The Pro models feature a redesigned vapor chamber with three times more surface area than the previous generation, enabling 40 percent higher sustained performance. The GPU is 40 percent faster than the previous A19 Pro, while the Neural Engine delivers twice the AI processing power.
Connectivity across all three models relies on Apple's N1 wireless chip, which supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. A new C2 cellular modem provides faster uploads than the previous generation while consuming 15 percent less energy. Critically, all three phones are eSIM-only in India, a move Apple says is supported by over 500 carriers globally, including Airtel, Jio, and Vi. The shift eliminates the physical SIM card slot entirely, requiring users to activate service through digital means. The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max will be available in black, silver, glacier, and burgundy finishes. Apple Pencil support is planned for the Duo later this year via USB-C. The Pro models will roll out to 65 countries initially on September 18, with an additional 20 countries receiving them on September 25. The Duo follows a similar pattern, arriving in over 70 countries on October 23 and another 28 countries on October 30.
Notable Quotes
The outer display offers 90 percent of the screen area of the iPhone 18 Pro— Apple
The GPU is up to 40 percent faster than the A19 Pro, while the Neural Engine delivers twice the AI processing power— Apple
Want the full story?
Read the original at Times of India ↗
Technology