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Last updated: September 9, 2026, 10:22 PM ET

Apple’s Big Reveal: The iPhone Duo Foldable

After years of speculation, Apple has finally entered the foldable era with the iPhone Duo, debuting at its "Surprise and shine" event in Cupertino. The device, which launches in October starting at $1,999, features an entirely new wider-style design with two panels and is the first iOS-powered foldable smartphone, as detailed in our full breakdown. In a last-minute twist, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman had predicted the device would be named iPhone Duo rather than iPhone Ultra, and that it would be cheaper than expected. The new device is Apple's most exciting product in a decade, making a strong great first impression, though some reviewers wished it had three cameras in back. The iPhone Duo's interface is iPad-like, with extra tricks for multitasking and multiple apps simultaneously. A dedicated review argues the new device will convince you to buy a foldable.

However, the hot new foldable lacks the variable aperture and dedicated telephoto camera found in the iPhone 18 Pro, leaving some photographers wanting more. Enthusiasts looking for an alternative can already get a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 for free with eligible trade-in at T-Mobile. Comparing the two foldables side-by-side, the iPhone Duo competes well with the Z Fold 8 on paper, though Android was already there with many of these features, including six that Apple has effectively copied from Samsung, Motorola and Google. The Engadget Podcast also dove deep into the new hardware and its implications.

Samsung responded with its signature lack of chill, and Duolingo also got cheeky with wild reactions to Apple's foldable debut. Motorola won't go quietly either, teasing a short, wide Razr Fold on Instagram to compete with the Galaxy Fold 8 and iPhone Duo, and Motorola has also teased a new compact foldable Razr. Both devices will be supported by two official first-party cases for the iPhone Duo, with the iPhone Duo Folio available in two variants.

Apple has also increased the price of older iPhone models by $100, suggesting the company is making room for the new flagships at the top of the lineup.

iPhone 18 Pro Series and iOS 27

The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max have arrived with Apple's new A20 Pro chip, a smaller Dynamic Island design, and a variable aperture main camera system that allows for dramatic depth-of-field control and low-light improvements. The phones also introduce three new colors. Before the event, Apple's new CEO John Ternus posted a mysterious video on his official account teasing the variable aperture, building anticipation for what would become a key announcement. In our hands-on, the camera innovations go well beyond megapixels and AI tools, and while the foldable gets headlines, we believe the variable aperture and pro controls are more important for photography.

The iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max will go on pre-order September 12 and will be released September 18 per the pricing and availability details. Both will run iOS 27, which launches publicly on September 14 with Siri AI functionality. The new software will allow Siri to do significantly more, and it's almost time for the generative assistant to reach users. The Duo will go on pre-order in October.

Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4

Apple's new watch lineup includes the Series, in 42mm and 46mm sizes, plus the Watch Ultra 4. All three models feature the new S11 chip, improved optical and electrical heart rate sensors, and comfortable microphones. The Watch Series 12 has a host of upgrades, and it will now listen to your conversations to provide a real-life rewind. A new Audio Intelligence capability in watch OS allows you to record and revisit conversational moments, and you can do so with privacy concerns addressed. Apple says it's taking these concerns seriously, and the hardware also includes a ceramic option.

The Series 12's Audio Intelligence works alongside health sensors. Meanwhile, the Apple Watch Ultra 4 comes with better battery and upgraded health tracking, with notable improvements even if it isn't a major redesign. Both watches will ship with watch OS 11 and deeper integration with Apple's Audio Intelligence, putting a "conversation rewind" at your wrist.

Air Pods 5

Apple's latest base Air Pods are here, and they are better but surprisingly also cheaper. The Air Pods 5 offer better sound, more powerful noise cancellation and a lower price than the previous generation, spec-for-spec. An upgrade to the Air Pods included better active noise cancellation at $129, and no sign yet of the camera-laden Air Pods rumored to come later.

Apple Accessories and Competitors

Apple's new foldable arrives alongside first-party cases. The iPhone Duo Folio is one of two official accessories announced, marking the company's move to provide official accessory support from day one.

Samsung and Android Launches

Samsung is dedicated to continued improvement of its folding line. The company detailed the journey of making its Z Fold8 and Z Fold8 Ultra thinner and lighter than ever. The original Galaxy Fold weighed a hefty 276g, but the latest book-style foldable is much lighter, and Samsung's own foldable range now sets the standard for competing.

Samsung is already pushing new display tech into future devices. Two upcoming Galaxy S27 series models will feature a Privacy Display feature that was introduced on the S26 Ultra earlier this year, and future Samsung laptops may adopt it. Meanwhile, the Galaxy A55 has received a One UI 9 beta with a download of over 2GB, and future Galaxy laptops may also join in on new features.

Motorola's Signature 27 could finally hit the US with a slimmer design and a Swarovski edition, as new teasers suggest a US-bound launch. Oppo's Find X10 series is now open for pre-orders, featuring an impressive 8,000mAh battery capacity. The company is also releasing the A7 Pro with its own 8,000 mAh battery and a 120Hz OLED.

Honor's Magic9 series will officially launch on September 28, with the design revealed. The company showcased the devices at the 83rd Venice Film Festival, showing off the Magic9 Pro Max and its partnership with ARRI. The return to ARRI for cinematic technology will continue, and the device's first debut was at the festival in live photos. Honor will also fully unveil MagicOS, based on Android, next week on September 15 after delaying its August release.

vivo has revealed the design of its X500 Pro Max ahead of a China launch later this month. Realme partnered with Warner Bros. Discovery again for a Realme 16 Pro Harry Potter Edition, following the Game of Thrones Limited Edition last year. Tecno has introduced the Camon Slim 5G(, available as the latest in their line of slim phones.

Arm unveiled an AI-native CSS for Mobile 2 platform with a Mali G2-Ultra NX GPU and C2-Ultra and Pro CPU cores, following its Lumex Compute Subsystem introduced last year.

Mobile Deals and Accessories

Amazon is slashing prices on its Fire tablet lineup, including a 50% discount on the Fire HD 10, as part of a new sales event. Visible is offering 50% off its best unlimited plan for an entire year if you pay upfront with a specific code, and the new Gemini Assistant highlighted.

Artificial Intelligence and Apps

Microsoft has struck a deal with the national teachers union to not use school data to train AI, in the absence of federal protections, with unions stepping up to protect student data. Google's Gemini has turned its AI into a fantasy football coach as football season kicks off, and Google's Gemini Daily Brief is now free for US users. The proactive AI assistant helps get you organized each morning, and it can also help planning a trip.

Instacart has launched a new AI assistant called Clementine to make grocery shopping easier, deciding what to buy for you. Anthropic users are taking the company to court over Max subscription terms, filing a class-action lawsuit. US authorities have accused Chinese AI companies of industrial-scale campaigns to copy American models, with the NSA, CISA and the FBI alleging DeepSeek and Moonshot of "distillation". Suno has trained its v6 AI music models with help from Warner and BMG as a formal start to that partnership.

Gaming

Playdate Season 3 kicks off on October 8 with new games like Gloom Gate, Houm and Silky Froggy from the indie publisher. Blizzard employees have ratified their first union contracts, with the Communications Workers of America representing about 1,900 workers at the game company.

The Neo Geo console remake has been delayed to September 16, 2027, originally set for November, with the price remaining unchanged. A new Nintendo Direct has aired with a quick rundown of announcements.

includes Mario Kart World getting a bunch of courses from the SNES original with a free update arriving today. Resident Evil remakes are coming to Switch 2 on October 16, just in time for next year's Code: Veronica remake. Metroid Ravenous has been announced as the latest 2D adventure for Samus Aran, arriving on January 28, 2027, with a new ability to feed on her enemies. No Man's Sky gets its largest update yet to mark its 10th anniversary, a huge and free Cosmos update.

Streaming and Entertainment

The original Star Wars, from 1977, and Starfighter will be coming to IMAX 70mm in 2027, as a Holy Grail quest for fans of the original version, with the first and latest films in the saga screening.

Headphones & Audio

Audio-Technica has added a new wireless headphone to its open-back lineup, the ATH-AL5NC at $279, completing the lineup with good sound and convenience, even if open-back can't offer true noise-cancelling.

Auto & Transportation

Lyft is now offering Waymo rides in Nashville in partnership with the autonomous platform, letting users get fully autonomous rides directly from the Lyft app in Tennessee.

General Announcements

Muse, the band, lost its social media handles to Muse, Meta's new AI agent. The exact circumstances of the change aren't clear but Meta execs have accidentally tagged the band instead of their new AI agent. Apple's "Surprise and shine" launch event was the source of today's coverage, and it has a full live blog as well as predictions. The event itself aired and was the main event will you be watching?