The flip side of foldable smartphones
Seven years after Samsung released the Galaxy Fold, Apple is finally entering the foldable smartphone market with the iPhone Duo—bridging the look, feel, and functionality of an iPhone and an iPad.
Apple’s presentation highlights the factors that enabled it to finally enter the foldable smartphone market, years after its competitors have virtually monopolized the product line: the absence of a crease where the phone folds, and a hyper-durable hinge that won’t succumb to daily wear and tear.
Simply put, through these advancements, Apple finally felt that they could put out a foldable without compromising on quality.
Still, no matter the improvement, foldables at their core are less durable and more expensive smartphones with a few niche features in exchange.
A new player in the market
The biggest draw to a foldable smartphone is its multitasking functionality.
In the iPhone Duo’s case—on top of being the thinnest iPhone to date—it features a 7.6-inch inner display that allows for the simultaneous use of multiple apps: Netflix and Zoom, Chrome and your game of choice, no matter the combination. Regular smartphones do possess this feature, but the limited screen space rarely allows for any meaningful multitasking.
“With the largest display ever on an iPhone that still fits easily in your pocket, combined with the power of A20 Pro, iPhone Duo helps you stay more immersed and productive wherever you go, whether you’re enjoying content, multitasking across apps, or gaming,” shares Apple CEO John Ternus, who recently stepped into the role after Tim Cook’s 15-year tenure.
The bottom line
Addressing concerns of durability and reliability, the iPhone Duo uses grade 5 titanium for its frame as well as a ceramic shield on both sides to protect from scratches.
Meanwhile, the hinge is said to contain more than 100 components, all designed to precisely control how the phone opens and closes. Inside, the inner display is built with over 10 ultra-thin layers that glide past one another to relieve bending stress and improve longevity across long-term use.
For a phone that starts at P159,990 and goes up to P254,990 for two terabytes of storage (meanwhile, the iPhone 18 Pro costs between P94,990 and P189,990), much of the cost, R&D, and resources poured into building this phone go into making sure that it doesn’t brick from daily use.
But dropping it on its hinge or maybe just sitting on it the way you’d do to an ordinary phone—simple user error—is all it takes to turn a six-figure investment into a glorified kickstand.
