Apple’s iPhone Duo at $1,999 must face two demand risks upon launch, as analysts question its imposing form factor and whether, for some buyers, there will be a temptation to wait for a more compact second-generation model.
Key takeaways:
The Duo attaches a 5.4-inch external display to a 7.6-inch internal display once unfolded, for a starting price of $1,999.
Jefferies believes one-handed use could be difficult, especially for people with small hands.
Supply-chain checks suggest Apple could launch a second foldable model in 2027, in a more conventional form factor.
Edison Lee’s take
Apple unveiled the Duo the day before—its very first foldable iPhone—presented by CEO John Ternus at the annual event for new products. The device opens like a book: its 5.4-inch external display unfolds to reach 7.6 inches.
The Duo starts at $1,999, while the version with the highest storage capacity rises to about $3,199.
Jefferies analyst Edison Lee explains that this more generous format could prove difficult to handle with one hand, especially for users with smaller hands. He adds that Jefferies’ checks along the supply chain suggest Apple could launch in 2027 a second-generation foldable model with a more classic size, potentially at an even higher price.
“Even if this form factor seems to be trending, we’re not sure it matches consumers’ preferences,” Lee writes, noting that an announced successor could lead some buyers to wait.
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John Stankey’s perspective
AT&T CEO John Stankey, for his part, wondered whether Apple’s arrival would actually broaden the foldable smartphone market. He told Yahoo Finance that foldable models have been around for several years already in the Android universe, and that demand has remained concentrated among a small core of users.
“The best way to sum up the situation is to say that, given the foldable phones already available on the market, it’s not a novelty,” Stankey said.
Apple is entering the foldables segment after several years of experimentation by Android manufacturers on screen sizes and form factors. This track record gives the Duo a market that’s already structured to position within, but it also means buyers will be able to compare Apple’s first attempt with more mature alternatives.
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