Apple Unveils iPhone Duo, Its First Foldable iPhone, at $1,999 as Reviewers Question Price and iPad Multitasking

The two publications differed on the timing of the announcement. 9to5Mac said Apple unveiled its new iPhone lineup this week, while TechRadar said Apple introduced the device at its big September event last week. Both reports were published on Sept. 12, 2026. TechRadar noted that Apple's Surprise and Shine tagline felt unnecessary because the foldable had been rumored for months or years.

TechRadar reported that the iPhone Duo costs $1,999 in the United States, £1,999 in the United Kingdom and AU$3,499 in Australia, making it Apple's most expensive iPhone. The publication described it as a device for early adopters, pointing out that it has two cameras rather than the three on the iPhone 18 Pro, which costs almost half as much. It also lacks an Action button and Face ID, with Touch ID returning instead. TechRadar called Touch ID a somewhat anachronistic comeback and said it offers a weaker seal than Apple's facial recognition technology.

The TechRadar reviewer wrote that the Duo generated more excitement than any iPhone reveal in years and that Apple really nailed the announcement. The reviewer praised the thoughtful passport design and the way Apple cleverly minimized, though did not totally hide, the crease. The software was said to adapt to whatever the hardware is doing, rather than feeling like an operating system crammed into an awkward form factor.

Even so, the reviewer said the price prevented a purchase. As an Apple fan who has bought iPhones since the iPhone 3GS, the reviewer wrote that spending $2,000 was too much for a phone missing key features. The review questioned who would buy the Duo, saying everyday buyers were unlikely to do so and that many people would want to try it but few would actually buy it. It noted that competitors have made foldables for years, but the reviewer had only seen one in the wild and had never been tempted to try one before the iPhone Duo. The review added that the original iPhone also lacked features such as video recording, 3G connectivity, third-party apps and strong battery life, yet still revolutionized the smartphone industry, suggesting the Duo has similar potential.

9to5Mac focused on the Duo's multitasking software and compared it unfavorably with the iPad. The publication called the Duo a fantastic device and said Apple nailed split-screen multitasking in a way nobody was really thinking about. On the Duo, an app can be placed in half of a split screen while the full home screen remains visible for selecting another app. Apps can also be saved as a pair for later use. The Duo offers split-screen video alongside another app, something no iPad offers, according to 9to5Mac, and the publication said this could be excellent on the similarly sized iPad mini.

The same report criticized iPad multitasking. Since iPadOS 26 was released last year, 9to5Mac wrote, the earlier days of iPad multitasking have been missed. Windowing is useful but not desirable all the time, and with iPadOS 26 users are either fully in on windowing or limited to full-screen apps. Apple reintroduced split screen and slideover in later versions, but those features still require the windowing system. iPadOS 27 continues an all-or-nothing approach, the publication said, even on the iPad mini where windowing is far too convoluted.

9to5Mac argued that the iPhone Duo offers a vision for how nice multitasking could be on the iPad. The report did not call for removing windowing, but asked why Apple would not bring a simpler multitasking system to the iPad if it has already engineered one. It noted that iPadOS is still iOS at its core and that while not everything can automatically scale to the iPad, the change should not be a massive undertaking. The reviewer wrote that Apple had made iPad multitasking borderline hostile to users who do not use a Magic Keyboard.