Apple's first foldable iPhone Duo starts at $1,999 with preorders now open

Apple has begun taking preorders for the iPhone Duo, its first foldable phone, marking the company's long-awaited entry into the foldable market. The device starts at $1,999 for the 256GB model, according to The Verge. Preorders opened on Friday, October 16, at 5 a.m. PT on apple.com and in the Apple Store app.

The launch positions Apple as a late but formidable competitor in a market that Samsung and Google have dominated. Apple arrives later than those rivals in the foldable market, The Verge noted. Counterpoint told Bloomberg that iPhone Duo sales are expected to reach 6 million units in 2026 alone, signaling strong demand for Apple's take on the form factor.

For customers weighing the cost, Apple offers financing and trade-in options. Apple said customers can get an instant trade-in credit of $175 to $885 on an eligible iPhone 13 or newer. Additionally, Apple Upgrade, provided by Klarna, offers 12-month and 24-month leases, with prices starting as low as $57.99 a month for a 24-month Duo lease, before taxes and any trade-in credit.

Preorder demand has been extraordinary, the company said, according to The Verge. Reviewers have already called the iPhone Duo Apple's most exciting device in a decade, according to Engadget. However, some caution remains: Gadgets Now noted that the Duo is heavier and costs more than Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold8, and that the phone has not yet been through weeks of battery, camera and scratch testing.

What happens next

With preorders now live, the focus will shift to how the iPhone Duo performs under sustained use and whether Apple's foldable resilience lives up to its IP68 rating. Apple's entry—years after Royole presented the FlexPai at CES 2019 and Samsung released its first Galaxy Fold in February 2019—could reshape the market. Cheaper clamshell foldables like the Motorola Razr and Galaxy Z Flip 3 brought prices down to regular flagship levels, and Apple's premium pricing may test whether consumers are willing to pay more for a refined foldable experience.