Details of components and production costs of iPhone Duo

The iPhone Duo's folding screen is said to cost $250, is one of the most expensive components on the device and is exclusively provided by Samsung Display for three years.

According to Instant Digital, Apple and Samsung Display have signed an exclusive screen production agreement, applicable to the current Duo model and the folding iPhone generation for three years. Apple has no other choice when LG Display has not yet commercially produced folding screens, and BOE's panels have not met the company's strict standards for quality and stability.

iPhone Duo is the first device on the market equipped with Samsung's new M16 OLED panel technology. M16 material improves brightness, color accuracy, longevity and power savings compared to previous generations. The panel is capable of reaching a maximum brightness of 3,500 nits, although Apple limits it to 3,000 nits on the Duo to optimize performance and match the nano-texture anti-glare coating.

The price of 250 USD for each folding panel, not including the external secondary screen and assembly and testing costs, is nearly four times higher than the 70 USD Apple paid for the OLED panel on the iPhone 18 Pro Max line.

According to PhoneArena, the expensiveness of the panel combined with the global component price crisis pushed the total hardware cost of the iPhone Duo to an unprecedented high. Besides the screen at 250 USD, the most expensive components are the A20 Pro chip priced at 280 USD, the chassis and hinge system are 160 USD, 256 GB internal memory and 12 GB RAM are estimated at 150 USD, two camera components and secondary screen are 160 USD, and the battery and some other components are about 10 USD.

The above price list makes the iPhone Duo the phone with the most expensive production cost in Apple's history, with the total components of the standard version being 760 USD, not including assembly, shipping, research and software development. For comparison, this figure on iPhone 17 Pro Max is about 408 USD.

iPhone Duo, launched on September 9, is the first notable product marking the new "reign" of CEO John Ternus. The head of Apple said the large screen opens up new experiences, but the phone still has to be small enough to fit in a pocket and that's why the company chose a folding design, inspired by the experience of using the iPad. The device has a 7.6-inch screen when opened and a 5.4-inch screen on the outside.

iPhone Duo has a starting price of 64.99 million for the 256 GB version and a highest price of 103.99 million VND for the 2 TB version, equivalent to some high-end computer models. The device also has two other memory versions: 512 GB priced at 71.49 million VND and 1 TB priced at 84.49 million VND. The product will be on shelves in major markets from October 23, including Vietnam.