In the early hours of September 10 (Beijing Time), Apple officially launched its first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, at its autumn event. The starting price in China is 15,999 yuan, with the top-tier 2TB version priced at 26,499 yuan, making it the most expensive model in Apple's current iPhone lineup. Pre-orders will open at 8:00 PM on October 16, with official sales starting on October 23.
The iPhone Duo features a book-style horizontal inward folding design, equipped with a 7.6-inch Super Retina XDR internal display and a 5.4-inch external display. The internal display uses an under-display camera and introduces nano-texture material to reduce creases and glare. The device is powered by the A20 Pro chip and C2 modem, supports side-mounted Touch ID fingerprint recognition, and only supports eSIM activation. For imaging, it features a 48-megapixel main camera and a 48-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, supporting 4K video recording at 120fps.
Meanwhile, the prices for the iPhone 18 Pro series have also increased significantly, with starting prices rising by 1,000 yuan compared to the previous generation. The starting price for the iPhone 18 Pro in China is 9,999 yuan, and the iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at 10,999 yuan.
Beyond the high price potentially affecting mass adoption, Apple's first foldable screen faces more realistic mass production challenges. According to Nikkei Asia, due to Apple's extremely strict quality control standards, the initial daily production volume of the iPhone Duo is only "a few hundred units." To meet the original annual production target of 8 to 10 million units this year, the daily output would normally need to reach tens of thousands. Apple and its suppliers are working hard to accelerate production ramp-up, but increasing capacity takes time, which may lead to limited inventory at launch.