Launch analysis. Hero image: Apple.

The iPhone has a hinge now. That gets your attention. What deserves to keep it is whether opening the phone makes something you already do easier.

Apple announced iPhone Duo on September 9: its first folding phone, with a 7.6-inch inner screen and a 5.4-inch outer screen. U.S. pricing starts at $1,999 for 256GB. Pre-orders open October 16, followed by availability October 23. This is an October launch, even though it shared the September stage. Source: Apple’s announcement.

Two apps could be the reason to open it

Apple’s version of Split View supports two apps side by side, including two windows of the same app. You can save app pairs. The company also says Apple Pencil USB-C support is coming later this year; it is a promised addition, rather than something to assume will be ready on day one. Source: Apple’s software and availability details.

Imagine planning a weekend away with a hotel listing beside a map. Or putting a reference image beside the document you are editing. Those are modest tasks, but they provide a better buying test than watching someone unfold a phone onstage.

Before spending this much, write down three app combinations you would genuinely use. Then check how those specific apps behave on Duo. If your list is mostly variations of “watch a bigger video,” think about how often you would choose this screen over the screens you already own.

Folded size matters as much as open size

Apple lists Duo at 254 grams and 11.3mm thick when closed. It uses side-button Touch ID, and its camera specifications list separate 48MP main and ultrawide cameras. The listed 2x option is an optical-quality crop from the main camera, not a separate telephoto lens. Source: iPhone Duo technical specifications.

Those details deserve more attention than a beauty shot of the phone opened flat. The useful fit check is the folded phone in the pocket you actually use, preferably with the case you intend to buy. Think about reaching across the outer display, carrying it on a run, and holding it through a long call.

For photographers, decide which inconvenience you are trying to solve. More room to inspect a picture and more reach from a dedicated lens answer different needs. A higher price should not make that choice for you.

The questions a launch cannot answer

We have not tested Duo. Long-term hinge wear, screen feel, real battery life and everyday app behavior remain outside this article’s evidence.

Our take: the most convincing buyer is someone who can name a repeated task that currently feels cramped. Someone choosing between two pieces of information, checking a reference, or moving through a document might have a real reason to unfold. Someone happy with their current phone has a real reason to wait.

Put the novelty aside for a moment. If you stopped showing people the hinge next week, would you still open it twenty times a day? That is the purchase decision.

For the run-up to the reveal, read HYPE’s September event preview. That earlier article contains pre-announcement expectations; the confirmed details above supersede those rumors.