(VIDEO) 10 Surprising Features Apple Revealed About Its New Foldable iPhone Duo At Launch Event

CUPERTINO, Calif. — Apple officially unveiled its first foldable smartphone Wednesday, called the iPhone Duo, at a launch event held at Apple Park headed by new CEO John Ternus. While a foldable iPhone had been rumored for months, several specific functions and design details revealed during the presentation caught tech reviewers and analysts by surprise. Here are 10 of the most notable.

1. Touch ID replaces Face ID entirely, built into the side button. Rather than including Face ID, Apple integrated Touch ID directly into the device's side button for biometric authentication, according to 9to5Mac. Users can enroll multiple fingers for unlocking, marking the first time Apple has returned to Touch ID as the primary authentication method on a flagship iPhone since phasing it out in favor of Face ID years ago.
2. You can unlock the iPhone Duo using your Apple Watch. Beyond fingerprint authentication, Apple confirmed the device can also be unlocked automatically via a paired Apple Watch, extending the same convenience feature long available on Mac computers to the company's first foldable phone.
3. It supports MagSafe and Qi2 wireless charging, despite earlier rumors to the contrary. Ahead of the event, some reports had speculated the foldable's thin design might force Apple to drop wireless charging support entirely. According to Engadget, Apple confirmed the iPhone Duo does in fact support both MagSafe and Qi2 charging standards.
4. StandBy mode works even when the phone isn't charging. Apple's StandBy feature, which transforms the iPhone into a bedside-style display, typically requires the device to be actively charging. According to Engadget, the iPhone Duo can display StandBy content on its external screen when propped up, even without being plugged in, a functional change specific to the foldable's dual-screen design.
5. New camera features exploit the second screen in unexpected ways. Apple introduced several camera-specific software features built specifically around the device's folding form factor, according to Macworld, including Duo Preview, Smart Take, Kid Cue and Duo FaceTime. These tools take advantage of having both an internal and external display active simultaneously, allowing for creative framing, subject-facing preview windows, and hands-free video calling setups not possible on a traditional single-screen iPhone.
6. It uses a dual-battery system split across both halves of the phone. Rather than housing a single battery cell, the iPhone Duo incorporates a dual-battery architecture designed around the physical split created by the device's hinge, according to Macworld, an engineering approach necessary to maximize battery capacity within the constraints of a foldable chassis.
7. Apple built a custom vapor-chamber cooling system around its A20 Pro chip. To manage heat within the thin, folding enclosure, Apple incorporated vapor-chamber cooling specifically engineered for the device's A20 Pro processor, according to Macworld, a more sophisticated thermal management approach than what's typically found in Apple's standard iPhone lineup.
8. The hinge contains more than 100 individual components. According to PhoneArena, Apple's engineering team built the iPhone Duo's hinge from over 100 parts, including carbon fiber support plates designed to create a stiff, lightweight platform for the folding display to rest on. The hinge also features a variable torque profile for controlled opening, an integrated magnet array that provides a secure snap when closing, and additional structural support to help keep the display flat when fully open.
9. It carries an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance, unusually robust for a first-generation foldable. According to PhoneArena, achieving full IP68 protection is considered a notably ambitious engineering feat for any company's first foldable device, given the added complexity that moving hinge parts and a folding display introduce to water and dust sealing.
10. Apple is now offering a way to lease the phone rather than buy it outright. According to CNN Business, alongside the iPhone Duo's unveiling, Apple introduced a new leasing option for customers, a notable shift in how the company sells its devices, arriving the same day it raised prices across its broader iPhone 18 lineup.

Beyond those 10 standout features, Apple confirmed the iPhone Duo will start at $1,999 for a 256-gigabyte storage configuration, with pricing climbing for higher-capacity models up to 2 terabytes. The device features a 7.6-inch inner Super Retina XDR display and a 5.4-inch outer display, both supporting ProMotion refresh rates up to 120Hz, Always-On display capability and peak outdoor brightness reaching 3,000 nits. Apple described the iPhone Duo as the thinnest iPhone the company has ever produced, built from grade 5 titanium with a precision-machined, mirror-polished finish, and protected by Ceramic Shield on the back and the newer Ceramic Shield 2 on the front.

Pre-orders for the iPhone Duo open Friday, Oct. 16, with the device going on sale one week later, Friday, Oct. 23, across more than 70 countries and regions, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, China, France, Germany, India and Japan. An additional 28 countries and regions are set to receive the device Oct. 30.

Wall Street's reaction to the unveiling was measured despite the device's ambitious feature set. Apple shares closed down 0.28% on the day of the announcement, according to CNN Business, a reaction some analysts attributed to investor uncertainty over how many consumers will ultimately be willing to pay nearly $2,000 for the new form factor. Even so, longtime Apple analyst Dan Ives, founding partner of Yorkville Ives, described the iPhone Duo as the first new Apple product in a decade, since the original AirPods, capable of genuinely "moving the needle," suggesting it could help kick off a broader innovation cycle for the company under its new chief executive.