Apple was late to launch a fold phone, perhaps intentionally. It studied competing fold phones and improvised, raising the bar several notches higher. User experience has been a key consideration when designing iPhone Duo.
Among the first things I did this morning was scan the newspapers and go to the Apple website to watch the September 9 event.
The newspapers ran full-page ads on Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 phones – the timing does not surprise me. Tomorrow’s paper (or the September 18 edition) would probably have the latest Apple iPhone ads in the same newspapers. That’s because the Apple products will appear in Apple stores and ship to customers a week from today.
Watching the 90-minute pre-recorded launch video was a big thrill for me – not just because of the anticipation of product refreshes, but because these videos are extremely well produced. Slick production values, and you can see how much preparation went into producing these videos.
After short clips on low-light video and aerial video footage (shot on iPhone), I was surprised to see a smiling Tim Cook make a cameo appearance, saying, “No, no, no – not me. That’s your guy.” – Then incoming CEO John Ternus stepped into the frame.
John introduces the products, one at a time. And then hands it to product specialists who give us elaborate details and specs about the new products: iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro, Apple Watch Series 12, Apple Watch Ultra 4, and AirPods 5.
If I had to sum it up in one paragraph – as I am often asked to do when writing a “nut graph” – much emphasis was given to the A20 chip (Apple Silicon), low-light videography and photography; new vapour chamber and thermal design in the iPhones; longer battery life; Apple Intelligence and Siri AI; pro camera features; and the enhanced productivity applications that make these phones “an intelligent personal hub” in Ternus’ words.
Nut graph (or nut graf) is a paragraph in a journalistic or feature article that explains the core meaning and context of the story “in a nutshell”.
The iPhone Duo (256 GB) starts at $1,999 in the U.S. For that money, you could buy two reasonably good Android phones. With EMI schemes and the new Apple Upgrade program, U.S. consumers may not hesitate to buy the iPhone Duo or the iPhone 18.
Yes, it’s like buying two phones. But if you go through the long list of new features (below), I’d say it’s well worth it. Plus, the iPhone Fold could double as a tablet. Apple Pencil isn’t available for the Folds yet, but it’s coming later this year.
Features
- A20 chip (fastest multicore chip for Apple products)
- Thinnest form factor for iPhones
- Passport-like form factor (when folded)
- Controls moved to the side to increase screen area for content
- Split view multitasking (view two apps at the same time)
- Standby mode for bedside table (desktop clock, music, weather widgets) – I LOVE THIS ONE!
- IP68 dust and water resistance
- Thermal management features
- Dual battery architecture with fast charging (5 min. charge for 6 hour video)
- Reimagined iOS and apps for Fold
- Nano texture display
- Siri AI and Apple Intelligence
- Ceramic Shield on front and back
- Grade 5 Titanium casing
- Center Stage Front Camera / 48 MP dual fusion camera system
- On device AI processing (advanced tasks processed on Private Cloud Compute)
- Cleverly redesigned folio case
- Pro camera features (variable aperture) and footage editing
- iPhone hand-off (let’s you use the same phone number on two phones)
- Child safety features
- Apple Reference Image: A new way to authenticate AI-generated and edited images). This could become a standard for checking deep fakes.
The writer is former editor of CHIP magazine in India. He tested and used Apple products during his journalism career – purchasing some of those for his personal use.
