Apple unveils iPhone Duo after years of foldable-device development

Apple has unveiled the iPhone Duo, its first foldable iPhone, introducing a new product category for the company after years of work on foldable-device technology. Apple presented the phone at a September event. TIME reported that the device starts at $1,999, a price also stated in an ABC News headline.

In an interview with TIME, CEO John Ternus described Apple’s earlier exploration of foldable devices and the engineering hurdles the company faced before developing a commercial product. He said Apple expected flexible OLED displays to become viable, but that the company still had technical challenges to address.

His account presents the launch as the result of design and engineering work, rather than a sudden shift in product direction. Gadgets 360 reported that the iPhone Duo combines a custom polymer surface with a nanotexture finish and a hinge containing more than 100 precision components.

It also reported that Ternus and five other Apple engineers reportedly filed a patent application in 2011 exploring foldable electronic devices, including the batteries and circuit boards such products would need. That detail is reported by Gadgets 360; the TIME excerpt supplied here does not independently confirm the filing.

Richard Dinh, Apple’s Vice President of Product Design, told TIME that Ternus urged the team to keep pursuing a better design.

Gadgets 360 also quoted Ternus criticizing earlier foldable smartphones from other manufacturers, saying they felt “kind of cheap and crappy.” These comments indicate the design standard Apple says it sought, but do not establish how consumers will judge the finished device. The launch also puts Ternus’s leadership of Apple in view.

TIME reported that he took over as CEO on Sept. 1, after Tim Cook announced in April that he would step down following 15 years in the role. TIME linked Ternus’s selection to his engineering and design experience across products including the Mac, iPad, AirPods and iPhone.

The reported $1,999 starting price is a significant part of the launch story, though the sources do not provide sales figures or consumer response. KuCoin’s headline gives a starting price of 15,999 CNY, while ABC News and TIME state $1,999; neither headline supplies a currency conversion, so those amounts cannot be treated as a demonstrated pricing disagreement.

The reporting also does not establish whether the device’s construction or price will affect demand. Apple’s account, as relayed in the TIME interview and Gadgets 360 report, emphasizes the engineering challenges and design choices behind the phone.

The launch’s next measurable test will be the product’s reception and sales, but the reporting does not specify a sales target, release schedule or forecast. For now, the documented facts are the product’s debut, the reported starting price, and Apple executives’ description of the work that preceded it.