Apple Enters Foldable Phone Market With iPhone Duo, Priced at Rs 2.99 Lakh in India

Apple has officially entered the foldable smartphone market with the launch of the iPhone Duo, a premium device that combines the company’s familiar iPhone ecosystem with a much larger foldable display.

Priced at Rs 2,99,900 for the 256GB model in India, the iPhone Duo is positioned well above Apple’s conventional Pro lineup and is likely to appeal primarily to affluent customers and existing Pro Max users seeking a larger, more versatile form factor.

The device will be available for pre-order in India from October 16 and will go on sale from October 23. It comes with a 7.6-inch folding inner display and a 5.4-inch outer screen. Apple says both displays use the same aspect ratio, allowing content to transition smoothly between the folded and unfolded states.

The inner display also features a nano-texture finish designed to reduce reflections and glare while making the crease less noticeable.

Under the hood, the iPhone Duo is powered by Apple’s new A20 Pro chip and features a custom thermal-management system and dual-battery architecture. Apple claims up to 31 hours of video playback when using the inner display and up to 44 hours when using the outer screen.

The foldable design also enables several camera features that are not available on conventional iPhones. These include Smart Take, Duo Preview and Duo FaceTime, allowing users to make better use of the outer screen while taking photographs or participating in video calls.

Apple has also redesigned iOS 27 for the Duo, introducing a more flexible interface for the larger display and multitasking capabilities. Users can work with multiple apps more conveniently, while the software adapts as the device is folded, unfolded or positioned in different orientations.

“iPhone Duo is the most transformational change to iPhone since the original,” Apple CEO John Ternus said while unveiling the device. He described the combination of the new hardware and software as a redefinition of the foldable-phone experience.

The device is available in Star White and Night Sky and will come in 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB storage configurations. Apple's India store lists the starting price at Rs 2,99,900, while higher-storage variants cost significantly more, placing the top end of the range firmly in the ultra-premium smartphone segment.

Industry analysts expect Apple's entry to have an impact beyond the company's own sales volumes. Prabhu Ram, Head of the Industry Intelligence Group at CyberMedia Research, said the iPhone Duo is more likely to establish a new ultra-premium category above the existing Pro range than become a mass-market product in the short term.

He also expects the device to appeal particularly to existing iPhone Pro Max owners and early technology adopters, although its high price and potentially limited initial supply could restrict shipments.

Foldable smartphones remain a relatively small segment of the overall smartphone market, but Apple's entry gives the category access to one of the world's strongest premium-device ecosystems. The move could also put additional pressure on established foldable-phone makers to improve hardware design, software integration and pricing.

With the iPhone Duo, Apple is therefore not simply adding another model to its lineup; it is testing whether its loyal premium customer base is ready to pay a substantial premium for a fundamentally different iPhone experience.