Apple Introduces Its Most Expensive and Innovative iPhone Yet, the $1,999 Foldable iPhone Duo

Apple’s “Surprise and Shine” event on Wednesday was packed with new products, from the foldable iPhone Duo to an Apple Watch equipped with upgraded heart rate sensors. Apple also released the newest generation of iPhones, Apple Watches and AirPods.

The event, Apple’s biggest launch of the year, also signaled a shift in leadership. The company’s new CEO, former head of hardware engineering John Ternus, took over on September 1 and delivered the opening remarks at the event. He initially focused on AI and the standard it needs to meet to improve lives, from all-day battery life to an enhanced visual experience. 

“Today we’re going to take these abilities even further with the next generation of iPhone,” Ternus said at the event. 

Here’s what Apple announced.

iPhone Duo foldable phone

“Others have created foldables that feel like two screens stuck together,” Ternus said. “We started with the experience that we would want for ourselves.”

The iPhone Duo features a 5.4-inch front screen that transforms into a 7.6-inch screen when opened. You can angle the phone however you want, and the screen will adjust, opening up new possibilities for photos and videos. 

“When opened, it’s our thinnest iPhone ever,” Ternus said.

iPhone Duo brings an entirely new design to a familiar iPhone display. Its purpose is to give users a larger screen and a phone that can still fit in their pocket. It is also the first iPhone that is compatible with Apple Pencil, so users can annotate documents and highlight text. 

The new iPhone is made of titanium and is dust- and water-resistant.

“iPhone Duo is the most transformational change to iPhone since the original,” Ternus said.

For customers who are worried about the crease and how it will hold up over time, Apple’s chief hardware officer, Johny Srouji, explained that Apple precisely aligned each individual hinge for durability. 

The iPhone Duo starts at $1,999 with 256 GB of storage and is available in white and night sky (dark blue). Preorders start on October 16, and phones will ship starting on October 23.

iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max

For those not yet ready to hold a foldable phone, Apple offers its latest Pro and Pro Max models. “We made massive advancements in the most important areas,” Ternus said of the iPhone 18 Pro, highlighting longer battery life and an improved camera.

The phone contains a new A20 Pro chip, which powers “massive advancements in the most important areas.” For example, the iPhone 18 Pro takes a “massive leap” in battery life. Due to the new chip’s efficiency, users get 36 hours of battery life on the iPhone 18 Pro and “longest battery life by far” on the 18 Pro Max with 45 hours.

The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max come in new colors, including glacier (light blue) and burgundy (dark cherry). The phones also contain “the most advanced camera” Apple has ever made, according to the presentation.

The iPhone 18 Pro costs $1,199 for 256 GB, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at $1,299. The main differences between the phones are screen dimensions and battery life. The iPhone 18 Pro has a 6.3-inch screen, while the larger iPhone 18 Pro Max has a 6.9-inch screen.

Preorders open September 12, and shipping starts September 18. 

A new Siri

Siri was also due for an upgrade. The voice assistant now considers personal context and can search apps like Mail and Messages to find answers to queries. It works across 3,000 apps and is built into the Camera app on iPhone, so users can ask questions and take action more quickly. It also has a broader range of expressive voices, allowing users to personalize how human and emotive they want the voice to be. 

Users can also write and edit with Siri virtually anywhere they can type. For example, they can write an email to their child’s soccer coach while on the go. 

Siri is available in beta in English, with support for other languages coming next month. 

AirPods 5

Apple upgraded its popular AirPods with better noise-blocking features. The less expensive $129 model now has active noise cancellation, and the higher-end model that comes with a wireless charging case is $149. 

“We’re thrilled that with AirPods 5, we’re able to bring Active Noise Cancellation — one of our most beloved features — to our most affordable AirPods,” Dave Pakula, Apple’s vice president of Hardware Engineering, said in a press release. 

Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra Watch 4

Apple also introduced the newest generation of Apple Watch, the Series 12, and revealed a new Health Sensing System. The company redesigned sensors to provide higher-frequency heart rate data. For example, the new watches measure heart rate data every five seconds, a 60-time frequency increase over previous models.

Apple tested the Apple Watch against other leading wearables in a clinical study, and “Apple Watch has the most accurate heart rate sensing in a variable,” according to the presentation. 

The company is also introducing a new Readiness score, which combines data points from heart rate data to provide a snapshot of health.

It also debuted a new feature called Audio Intelligence, which makes sense of what you hear. It uses Apple Intelligence to register sounds like alarms, sirens and doorbells. It also includes Siri Recap, which generates notes and transcripts from audio. Live Rewind is another new feature within Audio Intelligence. It allows users to go back 15 seconds to transcribe what someone just said.  

The Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, priced at $399 and $799 respectively, are available for preorder now. They both launch on September 18. The main differences between these two options are battery life and case materials. The Ultra 4 is built for more extreme conditions, with a titanium case and up to 50 hours of battery life, while the Series 12 comes in aluminum and ceramic with a standard all-day battery life.