Apple presents the foldable iPhone Duo – prices starting at 2299 euros

The Steve Jobs Theater in Apple's California headquarters is the ideal place to present new iPhones. Not so much because the underground structure cannot be seen from the outside, but because the building, which is dug several stories deep into the earth, completely shields viewers from the California heat. Temperatures of up to 36 degrees Celsius are forecast for Wednesday. Shortly before 10 a.m. the thermometer is already at 27 degrees Celsius.

But the temperature in the dark theater rises noticeably when John Ternus appears on stage for the first time as the new CEO. Roaring applause, standing ovations. Plenty of advance praise. He tries to fulfill expectations by imitating his legendary predecessor Steve Jobs: The biggest news of the evening comes at the very end.

In the year in which Samsung is already launching the eighth generation of its foldables, Apple is introducing the first foldable iPhone. The name: iPhone Duo. The format is similar to Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold8, only with rounded corners. Apple probably buys the screens from Samsung. The company is likely to be the largest customer of Samsung's display division after Samsung Mobile.

Big and small combined

The fact that Apple's first foldable will look like this has been visible in photos of alleged prototypes for months. There was further confirmation last week at the Ifa in Berlin. Several Asian accessories companies showed protective cases for the then unannounced Apple foldable, some with adventurous mock-ups.

The outer screen is 5.4 inches - similar to the iPhone mini -, the inner 7.6 inches - almost as large as the iPad mini. This makes the iPhone Fold both the Apple cell phone with the largest and the smallest screen in the US company's offering.

Apart from the hardware, the software is the most important feature of the iPhone Duo. Apple has developed a mixture of the iOS of its iPhones and the iPadOS of its tablets. For example, controls are moved to the edge of the comparatively wide outer display, while two apps can be used next to or on top of each other on the large inner screen. If you fold the device in half and put it down, it becomes an alarm clock that you can put next to your bed.

A lot of it is reminiscent of the options that you also have on foldable Android smartphones. You can only really take advantage of this if apps are adapted for the folding screen. What will cause criticism: Instead of using facial recognition, the duo will be unlocked using a fingerprint.

The folding screen, which is glued together from many different layers, is the first in the iPhone portfolio to have a nano-coating that is intended to minimize reflections. Previously, this was only available on larger Apple gadgets for an additional charge.

The iPhone Duo is powered by the new A20 Pro chip, which is flanked by the C2 modem, which was largely developed in Munich. If both screens are used evenly, the battery should provide enough energy for up to 24 hours of runtime.

The new form factor can be ordered from mid-October; you have to pay 2299 euros for the version with 256 gigabytes of memory.

More power for more AI

At the beginning of the keynote we talk about the new iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max models. This also makes it clear that there will be no iPhone 18 and 18 Plus this September. The new iPhone models come in new colors, of which burgundy in particular is likely to attract attention. All five shades have been seen in leaks long before.

The core function of the new iPhones is the new Siri variant, which Apple is introducing with the update to iOS 27. However, Apple's AI voice assistant is not yet usable in the EU.

The new A20 Pro chip promises significant performance improvements depending on the application. Remarkable: The so-called Neural Engine, which makes it possible to use AI models directly on the iPhone, now has 32 instead of the previous 16 computing cores. A manager promises that the chip has the performance level of a desktop processor. To make this possible in a smartphone without a fan, the cooling has been improved, among other things.

Another result of the innovations is longer battery life of up to 30 hours for the iPhone 18 Pro Max.

A killer feature for photographers and videographers is the variable aperture of the main camera, which can either be controlled automatically or set manually in four steps.

More control for the camera

An adjustable iris diaphragm can be used to control how much light falls through the lens onto the photo sensor. You can compare it to the pupil in the eye: when it is dark, the pupil dilates to let in more light, and when it is bright sunshine it narrows.

An iris diaphragm works on the same principle, meaning it can supply more or less light to the photo sensor as needed. One use case where this might be particularly worthwhile is portraits and close-ups, where you can use the aperture to control how sharp or blurry the background is. So far, algorithms have done this on most smartphones. However, they don't always work perfectly, so that in portraits, for example, the hair of the person depicted is blurred even though it is still in the sharpness range.

Samsung had already tried a variable aperture eight years ago, first with the Galaxy S9, but it could only switch between two opening widths. However, the Koreans soon turned away from this technology. The only manufacturer that has dared to do this to date is Huawei.

To give photographers the opportunity to prove that their photos are authentic, Apple is introducing a system that one manager calls "digital negatives." The original is saved unchangeable in iCloud while changes are made to a copy.

The price for the new models: The iPhone 18 Pro will go on sale from 1,449 euros, the cheapest version of the iPhone 18 Pro Max costs 1,599 euros.

Something new for your ears

With a largely unchanged design, the new AirPods 5 should – of course – sound better and offer better noise cancellation than their predecessors. Otherwise, little has changed: You can still use it in combination with an iPhone to talk to Siri or translate conversations in foreign languages. The battery life is manageable at four hours. The price is 149 euros, with a wireless charging case 169 euros.

The sensors with which the watches measure body data are said to have been improved for the new smartwatches. The pulse is now measured more frequently. What's new is that heart rate variability can be displayed. Similar to what Google already does with its Fitbit Air, Apple calculates a “readiness” value from various sleep data, which also includes heart rate variability, which is intended to indicate how well you are physically prepared for the coming day. The possibility of having your own balance and flexibility evaluated by the new Apple Watches should be very exciting.

Using AI, the watches are intended to give people with hearing problems information when they hear sounds such as a doorbell or a warning tone. Another feature intended for continuous listening allows you to replay the last 15 seconds of audio. For example, you should be able to listen again to an announcement that you didn't understand or view a transcript. For now, this will only be possible in English.

After a long break, Apple is now offering particularly fine and expensive housing materials again. You can order the Series 12 with a ceramic housing, for example. The Apple Watch 12 is available from 449 euros, the Apple Watch Ultra 4 costs 899 euros.

Where is the iPhone 18?

Anyone who expected more will be disappointed. This time Apple has fully focused on premium iPhones. There was no sign of an iPhone and 18 and its Plus variant as well as a slimmed-down iPhone 18e or even the iPhone 18 Air that fans were only hoping for today. Apparently the rumors are right, according to which Apple has postponed the presentation of these models until next year.

With a little good will, you can see a logic in this: buyers of the premium models are probably more likely to accept price increases than for the standard variants. In addition, they are likely to be in particularly high demand in the high-sales pre-Christmas business and have fat profit margins.