The Apple iPhone Duo announcement on Wednesday, 9 September has confirmed the company’s first foldable iPhone, settling weeks of leaks and rumours with an official name that differed from almost every prediction. Apple had been widely expected to call the device the iPhone Ultra, but Apple Newsroom confirmed the handset is the iPhone Duo. Not a small distinction, that.
The Duo joins several other products revealed at the same event, including the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4. A busy Wednesday by any measure.
iPhone Duo: Apple’s foldable finally lands
The iPhone Duo is the headline act, and it is easy to see why. Rumours had described a foldable with a roughly 5.5-inch display when closed and a larger inner display of around 7.8 inches when opened. Leaks pointed to two rear cameras alongside a selfie camera, and suggested the device might use Touch ID rather than Face ID. Apple’s new A20 chip was widely expected to feature across the whole new iPhone range, Duo included, along with around 12GB of RAM and a larger battery, with speculation centring on somewhere around 5,000 mAh to 5,500 mAh to cope with the dual displays.
One thing the rumour mill got broadly right was the price. A foldable iPhone was never going to be cheap, and with memory costs still elevated across the industry, the Duo was always going to push into uncomfortable territory. Rumours ahead of the event had suggested a starting price above $2,000, which would put it well above Apple’s previous top-end handsets.
iPhone 18 Pro pricing confirmed, and it is lower than feared
For buyers who want the new Pro line without the foldable price tag, the confirmed figures from USA Today will come as some relief. The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199 for a 256GB model, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at $1,299 for 256GB. Pre-event rumours had suggested higher starting prices, so the confirmed figures land a fraction lower than many expected.
Both 18 Pro models arrive with the A20 chip, which should bring the usual incremental improvement in performance and efficiency. Rumours pointed to slightly smaller Dynamic Islands than on the iPhone 17 Pro series, giving a little more usable screen space, and variable-aperture cameras that could let in more light in low-light conditions compared to the fixed apertures on last year’s models. Apple’s C2 modem may also feature, with reported benefits for both cellular performance and privacy. Colour options are said to include dark cherry and sky blue, with at least one further choice likely.
The iPhone 18, iPhone 18e and an iPhone Air 2 were not expected at this event, with those models potentially pushed to spring 2027.
Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4: new chips, always-on heart rate
The watch lineup at the event centres on two new models. According to CNBC, the Apple Watch Series 12 starts at $399, while the Apple Watch Ultra 4 starts at $799.
The Series 12 is expected to arrive with the new S11 chip and, more interestingly for health tracking, an always-on heart-rate sensor, a feature that would bring it closer to what dedicated fitness trackers such as WHOOP already offer. Rumours also pointed to a possible return of the ceramic casing in white and dark gray, though that option will add considerably to the price: when Apple last sold a ceramic watch with the Series 5, it opened at $1,299.
The Ultra 4, meanwhile, is thought to be a more modest update, carrying the S12 chip and the same always-on heart-rate sensor as the Series 12, without a fundamental redesign of the casing or feature set.
What else Apple may have announced
Beyond the five headline products, speculation ahead of the event pointed to a handful of further announcements. A new Apple TV 4K with an upgraded chip, a refreshed HomePod mini and a so-called Home hub with a seven-inch display, camera and motion sensors had all been mentioned as possibilities. Fifth-generation AirPods with an H3 chip were another candidate. Apple was also expected to confirm release dates for iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27 Golden Gate and watchOS 27, all available as free updates for compatible devices.
The Apple iPhone Duo announcement alone makes this one of the more consequential product events Apple has staged in years. Whether the confirmed pricing matches the rumours remains the number to watch as the full details come through.
