Apple Unveils iPhone Duo Foldable at $1,999, Skips Base iPhone 18 in Ternus's First Keynote

Apple held its "Surprise and Shine" keynote Wednesday, September 9, at Apple Park in Cupertino, California. The company confirmed the iPhone Duo, its first foldable phone, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, new AirPods 5, Apple Watch Series 12, and Apple Watch Ultra 4.

This was the first product keynote run by CEO John Ternus, who replaced Tim Cook on September 1, according to CBS News and tech.yahoo.com. Ternus opened the show, then handed the presentation over to his product teams.

The Foldable, Finally

The iPhone Duo has a 5.4-inch outer display and a 7.6-inch inner display, according to Wired. It starts at $1,999 for 256GB storage, comes in Star White and Night Sky, and carries an A20 Pro chip with Apple's new C2 modem, per CBS News and creativebloq.

Preorders start October 16, with the phone shipping October 23. That's three weeks after the iPhone 18 Pro models, which go on sale September 18 following preorders that open September 12, according to creativebloq.

That pricing detail matters against what was previously reported. Coverage ahead of the event had described a foldable "iPhone Ultra" priced above $2,000. What Apple actually announced is called the iPhone Duo, and it starts at $1,999, under the $2,000 line rather than above it.

Apple gave the Duo a titanium frame, Ceramic Shield 2 glass, and an IP68 dust and water resistance rating, according to Wired. That rating beats Samsung's current foldables, though Wired notes Google's folding Pixel phones already carry IP68. The Duo drops Face ID entirely in favor of Touch ID built into the side power button, and it ships with only two rear cameras: a 48-megapixel main and 48-megapixel ultrawide. There is no telephoto lens, a cutback Wired points out Samsung also made on its own latest fold. Battery life runs up to 44 hours on the outer screen or 31 hours on the inner display for video playback, Apple said.

Pro Models and the Missing Middle

The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199 and the Pro Max at $1,299, both running the new A20 Pro chip with a 48-megapixel main camera featuring a variable physical aperture, according to creativebloq. CBS News reported the price increase over the iPhone 17 lineup is due in part to a global memory chip shortage, though CBS did not name which supplier or analyst made that specific attribution beyond citing it as company reasoning.

CBS News described Apple as introducing a standalone "iPhone 18" starting at $1,199 with the new A20 chip, separate from the Pro line. But tech.yahoo.com and creativebloq both reported flatly that no vanilla iPhone 18 was announced at all. Apple's lineup jumped straight from last year's iPhone 17 to this year's Pro, Pro Max, and Duo, with the standard tier and the previously rumored iPhone Air 2 both absent. The $1,199 figure CBS attributes to a base "iPhone 18" matches the Pro's starting price exactly, suggesting CBS conflated the two rather than Apple actually shipping a separate budget model.

What Didn't Show Up

Dan Ives, senior equity analyst at Wedbush Securities, told CBS News the foldable represents "the right time to go after the golden installed base" under Ternus's new leadership. That's one analyst's read on timing. The Duo hasn't shipped yet.

AirPods 5 launched at $129 and $149, the pricier model adding a touch-sensitive stem, according to creativebloq. Apple Watch Series 12 starts at $399 and Watch Ultra 4 at $499, both carrying new health sensors and a Siri-powered "Recaps" feature that uses the Watch's microphone and GPS to summarize a user's day.

Rumors ahead of the show pointed to a new Apple TV set-top box, a HomePod mini refresh, and a Siri-powered smart home hub. None of it materialized. Creativebloq and tech.yahoo.com both confirmed there was no home device news at all.

Apple also launched a new iPhone leasing program in the US, according to CBS News, though no monthly pricing or eligibility terms were detailed in the announcement. The next concrete date on the calendar is September 18, when the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max reach customers. The Duo won't be in anyone's hands until October 23.