❯ Apple unveils its first foldable iPhone Duo, joining A20 Pro, a new Siri and Watch audio intelligence in its fall lineup

Foldable debutAccording to Apple’s official announcements, the company introduced its first foldable phone, iPhone Duo, at its September 9 US event hosted by new CEO John Ternus, with a US starting price of $1,999. The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, and AirPods 5 also debuted. Larger screens, multitasking and personal AI connected the updates across the lineup.

Two screensDuo has a 5.4-inch outer and 7.6-inch inner display, an A20 Pro chip, a new display engine and Touch ID. An adapted iOS 27 supports side-by-side apps, different folding positions and transitions between screens. Two rear cameras have 48-megapixel sensors; the inner screen has an under-display calling camera. Apple lists up to 31 hours of video playback on the inner display and 44 hours on the outer display under its test conditions. Storage runs from 256GB to 2TB. Preorders start October 16, with sales October 23, subject to regional availability.

Pro upgradesThe iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max retain 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch displays, adding a variable-aperture main camera, a smaller Dynamic Island and a new vapor chamber for imaging and sustained performance. Both use A20 Pro. Apple says its six-core CPU is up to 20% faster than A19 Pro and memory bandwidth is up to 50% higher; those figures do not translate directly into equivalent gains in every application. US prices start at $1,199 and $1,299, with preorders September 12 and availability September 18.

Wrist and audioThe watches add a Health Sensing System and readiness score; Series 12 can measure background heart rate every five seconds. Live Rewind on the two new watches displays text from the preceding 15 seconds of conversation, while Siri Recap provides summaries. Apple adds audible and visual indicators, and features have device and rollout requirements. Ultra 4 starts at $799 in the US. AirPods 5 bring active noise cancellation to the $129 tier. The $149 version adds a wireless charging case, volume swipes and longer battery life. Live Translation has language and regional restrictions.

Staged deliverySiri AI and Apple Intelligence connect personal context, image processing and everyday tasks across phones and wearables, with some capabilities arriving later. Hardware availability and feature availability need to be assessed separately, particularly by language, region and companion device. App developers need useful multitasking interfaces for the larger screen. Recording and summarization products face new Watch features in the same use cases. Sustained usage will provide a better test than launch demonstrations of whether these changes justify upgrading.

▪ SIGNALApple is adding large-screen collaboration, personal assistance and ambient audio processing to established devices. Upgrade demand will depend on which features work locally and whether people use them every day.