NEW DELHI — Apple has entered the foldable smartphone market in India with the launch of the iPhone Duo, priced at Rs 299,900, as the company looks to attract premium users seeking a larger display for content consumption, multitasking and creative work.
The iPhone Duo will be available beginning Oct. 23 and features a 7.6-inch inner display and a 5.4-inch outer display. Both screens use the same aspect ratio, allowing content to scale proportionally between them.
Apple said the inner display includes a nano-texture finish designed to reduce glare and make the crease less visible.
The device is powered by Apple’s A20 Pro chip and includes an advanced thermal management system, a dual-battery architecture and a new camera system.
Apple said the iPhone Duo offers up to 31 hours of video playback on the inner display and up to 44 hours on the outer display.
The device also introduces foldable-specific camera features including Smart Take, Duo Preview and Duo FaceTime. iOS 27 adds multitasking tools such as Split View and the ability to save pairs of apps.
“iPhone Duo is the most transformational change to iPhone since the original. With an entirely new design and intuitive experiences, it shows what’s possible when hardware and software are engineered together and redefines what it means to use a foldable phone,” Apple CEO John Ternus said.
Prabhu Ram, Head of the Industry Intelligence Group at CyberMedia Research, said the device is likely to create an “uber-premium” tier above the Pro lineup rather than generate significant sales volumes in the near term.
Ram said the price premium over U.S. pricing reflects higher memory costs, rupee depreciation, customs duties, local taxes and channel margins.
He said structured retail financing could help attract affluent buyers, estimating an additional monthly cost of about Rs 20,000 compared with an iPhone 18 Pro Max baseline of roughly Rs 28,817.
“While near-term shipments will remain modest and supply-constrained, the Duo is well-positioned to convert core Pro Max users,” Ram said.
The iPhone Duo will be offered in star white and night sky, with storage options ranging from 256GB to 2TB. Pre-orders begin Oct. 16.
Foldable devices currently account for less than 1 percent of total smartphone shipments, Ram said, but Apple’s entry could attract iPhone loyalists and early adopters while encouraging further innovation in the category. (Source: IANS)
