The Apple iPhone Duo launch was the centrepiece of the company’s ‘Surprise and Shine’ event on 9 September, where Apple finally entered the foldable smartphone market roughly seven years after Samsung first shipped the form factor. The device had been widely rumoured as the ‘iPhone Ultra,’ but it arrived with a different name and a clear statement of intent.
The Apple iPhone Duo Launch: What Was Actually Announced
The iPhone Duo features a book-style design with a 5.4-inch outer display and a 7.6-inch inner display, which Apple described as the largest iPhone screen ever made, with a minimal crease, according to MacRumors’ post-event coverage. The rumoured price of $2,000 had circulated for months before the event.
Alongside the Duo, Apple’s official events page confirms the September 9 announcements included the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 12, Apple Watch Ultra 4, and AirPods 5. For those not drawn to the foldable, the iPhone 18 Pro arrives with a new 48MP Fusion main camera with variable aperture and, according to Apple, the longest battery life ever in an iPhone, available in four colours including Glacier and Burgundy.
The standard iPhone 18 is not expected to launch until next year. Pre-orders for the iPhone Duo open on 16 October, with the device reaching customers on 23 October.
Apple also used the event to announce the Apple Upgrade leasing programme in the US, offering monthly payment options over 12 or 24 months for the iPhone 18 Pro with an upgrade path at the end of the term. Trade-in savings of up to $1,200 are available for customers trading in an iPhone 14 or newer, and a new family AppleCare plan called Apple Care One Family allows sign-up directly from an iPhone, according to Macworld’s live blog of the event.
The event also marked the public debut of Siri AI, an update Apple had first promised over two years earlier, according to Mashable’s live coverage.
One More Thing, and a New CEO to Say It
The evening had a theatrical moment that no one in the Steve Jobs Theater missed. When unveiling the iPhone Duo, new Apple chief executive John Ternus told the Cupertino audience: ‘actually there is one more thing,’ a direct echo of the phrase long associated with Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, according to AP News.
It was Ternus’s first major product event as chief executive. Tim Cook’s departure as CEO took effect on 1 September 2026, at which point he moved to executive chairman of Apple’s board; Ternus simultaneously joined the board as CEO, following a succession process the board approved unanimously.
The transition had been signalled for some time. In January 2026, Ternus was given oversight of Apple’s industrial design team, a move that Bloomberg News described at the time as a further indication of his candidacy for the chief executive role. Ternus joined Apple’s product design team in 2001 and served as senior vice president of hardware engineering from 2021 until his appointment as CEO. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.
Apple announced the ‘Surprise and Shine’ event on 26 August 2026, according to Apple’s developer news page. The event streamed live on YouTube and on Apple’s own events site, where it remains available to watch on demand.
The real test arrives on 23 October: whether the iPhone Duo can persuade consumers who have spent seven years watching Samsung, Google, and others iterate on the foldable form factor that Apple’s first attempt was worth the wait.
