DUBAI, United Arab Emirates / RankWire.AI / – Apple’s iPhone Duo marks the company’s first entry into foldable smartphones, years after rivals opened the category. The book-style device pairs a 5.4-inch outer display with a 7.6-inch inner folding screen. It runs on the A20 Pro chip and starts at $1,999 in the U.S. for 256GB of storage. Apple has dropped Face ID on the Duo and uses Touch ID in the side button instead. Tight supply has pushed resale prices well above retail in several markets.
The Duo uses a wide, short passport shape rather than the tall, narrow outer screens common on earlier book-style foldables. That makes the outer display practical for messaging, Apple Pay and other quick tasks without unfolding. Unfolded, the phone measures 5.2mm thick, rising to 11.3mm when closed. It weighs 254 grams and uses a titanium design with a 3D-printed hinge cover. The launch came weeks before Apple added touch to the Mac with its new MacBook Pro.
A review by MENA Newswire founder and CEO Ajay Rajguru highlights how the Duo handles the centre crease. A matte nano-texture finish on the inner cover layer scatters light instead of reflecting it like glossy ultra-thin glass. With outdoor peak brightness of 3,000 nits, the crease is less noticeable under harsh light. A slight physical valley can still be felt when a finger runs across the fold. The review finds it shallower than on older-generation competitors.
Touch ID and an under-display camera replace Face ID
Apple placed an under-display FaceTime camera beneath the inner screen instead of a notch or punch-hole. The pixels above the sensor allow an edge-to-edge canvas during full-screen video. Image quality from that camera remains softer than from a standard selfie sensor, despite processing that reduces haze. Face ID is absent because its infrared system cannot read accurately through active OLED pixels. A fingerprint sensor in the side button handles authentication whether the phone is open or closed.
The A20 Pro chip combines a 6-core CPU, a 7-core GPU with Neural Accelerators and a dual 16-core Neural Engine. A vapour chamber spans both halves to spread heat and limit throttling. iOS 27 lets users run two apps side by side, and the Duo supports Apple Pencil (USB-C). Apple rates battery life at up to 24 hours, and a 60W adapter charges it to 50% in around 20 minutes. Samsung has refined its foldables for years, most recently with the Galaxy Z Fold7.
Shortages push resale prices above retail
Demand has outpaced first-run supply since the Duo reached customers on October 23. Khaleej Times reported resale asking prices of up to Dh25,000 in the UAE, with sellers citing limited stock. In India, grey-market sellers have sought Rs 30,000 to Rs 50,000 above the official price, according to 91mobiles. Some U.S. units have reportedly resold for up to $1,800 above list. Delivery estimates for new orders in some markets have stretched into January 2027.
The Duo is not free of compromises, as it lacks Face ID and a dedicated periscope telephoto lens. Developers will also need to update apps for multi-column layouts on the larger inner screen. Early user reports have raised concerns about screen stiffness in near-freezing temperatures. Even so, the review concludes that Apple has delivered the most cohesive foldable hardware package on the market. It credits the glare-reducing display, efficient cooling and pocketable passport design.