Author/Shen Rong

Editor/Zhang Xiao

After years of anticipation, Apple has finally entered the foldable phone arena, nine years following the introduction of the world's inaugural foldable device.

In the early hours of today, Apple unveiled its latest offerings: the iPhone 18 Pro series, Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, as well as the AirPods 5 series at its product launch event.

Yet, none of these releases garnered as much attention as Apple's inaugural foldable phone, the iPhone Duo.

Described as "the most significant experience innovation since the iPhone's inception" and that "the iPhone Duo and iOS 27 redefine the iPhone," Apple's presentation at the launch event was nothing short of grandiose.

Objectively speaking, the iPhone Duo falls short of its rivals in certain specifications.

In terms of weight, it surpasses the Xiaomi 18 Fold by 35g and the Samsung Z Fold 8 by 53g.

When it comes to imaging capabilities, the Xiaomi 18 Fold boasts three cameras, with a primary lens of 200 megapixels, whereas the iPhone Duo features only two 48-megapixel lenses: a main camera and an ultra-wide-angle lens.

In terms of battery capacity, the iPhone Duo has not disclosed exact figures, but industry estimates suggest it hovers around 5000mAh, still lagging behind competitors. The Xiaomi 18 Fold, for instance, has already upped its battery capacity to 6000mAh.

From a design perspective, the iPhone Duo's "D-shaped" external screen appears less refined than the Samsung Z Fold 8's. Its delayed release and design similarities to competitors have also raised suspicions of imitation.

Regarding this external screen design, it's likely that not only would Steve Jobs be dissatisfied, but even Apple's own leadership might express reservations and criticism to some degree.

Now, considering the price, the iPhone Duo may also deter many potential buyers.

The 256GB model is priced at 15,999 yuan, the 512GB model at 17,999 yuan, the 1TB model at 21,499 yuan, and the 2TB model at a staggering 26,499 yuan.

The Xiaomi 18 Fold, which hits the shelves at 10 AM today across all channels, starts at a "mere" 10,999 yuan, with the top-tier 1TB storage ceramic special edition priced at "only" 15,999 yuan, just matching the base price of the iPhone Duo. The Samsung Z Fold 8, released earlier, starts at 12,999 yuan, with its top-tier 1TB model priced at "only" 17,799 yuan.

Over the past decade, foldable screen shipments have been on the rise. IDC forecasts a 12.6% growth in foldable screen shipments in 2026, reaching 22.9 million units.

However, compared to the smartphone market's overall volume of over 1.2 billion units, foldable screens are still far from mainstream. The primary reason is that key pain points remain unresolved.

Weight, thickness, hinges, crease control, imaging, price, screen utilization, software adaptation, and inner screen usage frequency—any one of these factors can dissuade consumers.

This essentially boils down to a few keywords: durability, usability, and convenience.

It's not that Android manufacturers haven't been trying. In the absence of iPhone in this space, competition has been fierce.

In the past, material stacking competitions, common with traditional bar phones, have been rife. Today, one manufacturer introduces an ultra-thin precision armor hinge, another introduces a TianGong hinge, and yet another introduces a butterfly wing or dragon bone hinge—all vying for naming supremacy. To demonstrate hinge reliability, product managers perform pull-ups using the foldable phone at launch events, and manufacturers conduct 4000-meter skydiving tests with foldable screens.

The same scenario has played out repeatedly with foldable screen thickness when unfolded, imaging systems, and battery capacity.

For a while, new records were constantly being set in this field—the thinnest foldable screen, the lightest foldable screen, a foldable screen without creases, and so on.

In terms of software interaction, except for Samsung's underperformance, nearly everyone else has been competing fiercely. Parallel worlds, AI panoramic virtual screens, and "Any Door"—various manufacturers have their own terms and perceived differentiated narratives, desperately trying to convince users that foldable screens can be productivity tools.

But these efforts are still insufficient.

Past pain points haven't been completely resolved. On the contrary, among today's mainstream foldable screen products, whether they are large foldables, broad foldables (also known as medium foldables), small foldables, or triple foldables, durability and usability are no longer major concerns.

The only thing lacking is convenience.

This, to some extent, explains why large foldables, once favored by manufacturers, have lost their appeal this year, and instead, broad and medium foldables have become popular.

It's fascinating that a product form that has persisted for nearly a decade is almost becoming obsolete overnight.

If you've had the patience to read this far, congratulations. What you're about to see next is undoubtedly the most mature product in the foldable screen category to date.

Let me preface this by saying that the following content is subjective. If you have differing opinions, the responsibility lies solely with me.

After watching Apple's launch event, my first impression is that the iPhone Duo precisely addresses the gap in convenience.

At the launch event, Apple's new CEO, Ternus, stated that Apple's intention in designing the iPhone Duo was to create an experience that users truly desire. Don't overlook this point. You can question any manufacturer when they say this—except Apple.

Just the fact that the iPhone Duo places the Dock bar on the side instead of the bottom is surprising enough. In fact, throughout the entire launch event, this design was what surprised me the most.

As a long-time user of the Samsung Z Fold 5, I was initially excited when the Samsung Z Fold 8 series was released and eagerly went to check it out.

However, after experiencing it, while the Fold 8 is indeed beautiful, it always felt a bit awkward to use.

In the past, with large foldables, the awkwardness was more evident in app adaptation for the large screen. Since many commonly used apps weren't customized for the Android ecosystem, when the screen was unfolded, app displays would either be simply stretched or not adapted at all, only showing the same display area as when closed in the middle of the screen, wasting two-thirds of the screen real estate.

Broad foldables are different. My sense of awkwardness mainly comes from the external screen and the discomfort caused by changes in its display proportions.

The screen display proportions of traditional bar smartphones have remained relatively unchanged over the years. For example, in the Android camp, a 20:9 ratio has long been mainstream, and since the iPhone X, the iPhone's 19.5:9 ratio has remained unchanged.

However, in the closed form factor of foldable screens, the external screen is shorter and "fatter."

To make a simple comparison, the screen width of the iPhone Duo in closed mode is 84.1 millimeters, while the iPhone 17 Pro Max is 74.7 millimeters. This means that for most users, holding the iPhone Duo with one hand can still be challenging.

However, by placing the Dock bar and control center on the right side of the screen, the iPhone Duo has, in fact, provided the best solution to date for displaying content on broad/medium foldable external screens—the sense of stretching in the external screen's display area is weakened, the immersion in the display effect is stronger, and single-handed operation is more convenient.

At the launch event, Apple said that the iPhone Duo combines two major product advantages: having the largest iPhone display to date and a compact, portable body. This statement refers not only to product advantages but also to experience advantages.

Of course, given mobile phone manufacturers' consistent ability to learn, the uniqueness of the iPhone Duo is unlikely to last long.

That said, the reason the iPhone has become the iPhone over the years boils down to one core thing:

Many things can only be achieved by Apple. This is an irreplaceable differentiated barrier for all competitors.

Take the inner screen of the iPhone Duo, for example.

Throughout the launch event, Apple didn't say much about creases, but from hands-on videos by Chinese and foreign media, it's clear that the iPhone Duo's crease control is among the best in the industry.

Additionally, Apple drew on its experience with iPads and Macs to customize a nano-texture surface layer for the iPhone Duo. Combined with a special polymer, it claims to be up to 40% stiffer than other materials commonly used in the industry, significantly reducing glare and reflections.

Again, from hands-on videos by Chinese and foreign media, it seems that the iPhone Duo's inner screen has also eliminated the plastic feel that was previously heavily criticized in foldable screen inner displays. However, there are now differing opinions on this, and the actual performance will have to be seen in real-world testing.

Nevertheless, as one of the tech companies with the strongest supply chain capabilities today, few people would likely question Apple's hardware prowess.

When Wang Ziru said during his livestream that seeing the iPhone Duo gave him goosebumps all over, it was largely due to his astonishment at Apple's hardware craftsmanship and supply chain level.

However, obviously, none of the above is the most noteworthy part of the iPhone Duo.

From a longer-term perspective, the possibilities brought about by Apple's prosperous and mature developer ecosystem in terms of app adaptation are even more exciting.

Of course, now that the iPhone Duo has finally entered the foldable screen battle, the efforts and achievements of domestic manufacturers in the future are even more eagerly anticipated. Motivation drives progress, and learning leads to improvement.

However, I suggest that not everything should be imitated. For example, don't follow Wang Ziru's suggestion and rename all foldable screens from "Fold" to "Duo" in the future.

Finally, welcome to the era of true foldable screens.