Apple rolled out its first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, on Friday, welcoming customers into retail stores to purchase the $2,000 device after a crowded pre-order period that left limited inventory for walk-in buyers.
The debut marks Apple’s most radical redesign of its core product line in years. The company confirmed earlier in the week that brick-and-mortar locations in the U.S. and select international markets would carry restricted numbers of the handset for shoppers without reservations.
High Demand and Executive Appearances
Apple executives pushed to reassure eager shoppers that retail shelves were not entirely bare following strong early reservations. In an interview with TechRadar, Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Greg Joswiak said the company deliberately kept inventory on hand for store visitors.
“You know, we didn’t ship them all away during the pre-order, we have them available at the stores, we’re excited,” Joswiak told TechRadar. “I’m sure we’ll have some happy customers.”
Joswiak noted that consumer interest during the initial reservation window was extraordinary. Joswiak and Apple Chief Executive Officer John Ternus were scheduled to appear Friday at the company’s Fifth Avenue flagship store in New York City, 9to5Mac and MacRumors reported.
To mark the rollout, Apple installed giant mirrored promotional models with illuminated edges showcasing the device in multiple configurations at four major locations: Apple Fifth Avenue, Apple Covent Garden in London, Apple BKC in India, and Apple Jing’an in Shanghai, according to MacRumors.
A Passport Shape and a Disappearing Crease
Priced identically to a 14-inch MacBook Pro laptop, the iPhone Duo features a 5.4-inch outer cover screen and unfolds like a passport into a 7.6-inch inner tablet display, CNN and The Verge reported in early reviews. Unlike earlier mobile foldables that favored tall, slender footprints, Apple implemented a wider 1.4:1 aspect ratio across both displays.
Hardware reviewers highlighted the inner display’s matte nano-texture finish, which substantially conceals the center fold. Both CNN and The Verge observed that the display seam is virtually invisible during everyday usage, though The Verge noted users can still feel it under their fingers. The device also includes an under-display camera and replaces Apple’s familiar Face ID system with a Touch ID sensor embedded directly into the side wake button.
Camera hardware largely mirrors the iPhone 18 Pro, though the Duo omits a dedicated telephoto zoom lens, CNN reported.
Early Software Growing Pains
While the hardware drew praise for craftsmanship, early technical assessments underscored an awkward software transition. Multiple high-profile applications have not yet updated to fit the unique dual-screen proportions, resulting in black borders or floating window interfaces on the tablet display, according to CNN and The Verge.
Reviewers also described an unexpected physical learning curve. Because standard smartphone applications remain tailored for vertical orientation, users must routinely rotate the opened device into portrait mode. CNN noted that although multitasking and split-screen viewing function smoothly once configured, unlocking the full potential of the $2,000 investment relies heavily on third-party developers updating their software.
For now, Apple faces the immediate task of fulfilling backlogged online orders while managing scarce walk-in foot traffic across its retail network.
