The iPhone Duo has arrived as Apple’s first foldable, and its specification sheet reads like a list of features Samsung has stripped from recent Galaxy Z Fold models. Apple Pencil support, a camera concealed beneath the inner display and a hinge that holds an angle all ship with the device, which starts at roughly £1,470 for the 256GB model. Pre-orders open on 16 October, with the phone reaching buyers a week later on 23 October.
The iPhone Duo features a 7.6-inch inner display, a 5.4-inch outer display and the A20 Pro chip driving both simultaneously. Both screens share the same aspect ratio, so content scales between them without reflowing awkwardly, and the handset carries an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.
Apple Pencil, a hidden camera and a hinge that holds its angle
Three details stand out, and they align with what Samsung has been removing. Apple placed a FaceTime camera beneath the inner display that stays hidden when not in use, and engineered the hinge from more than 100 components so the phone can be propped up without a tripod. The company also confirmed that Apple Pencil with USB-C support is coming to both displays later this year.
Apple is not simply restoring something Samsung once offered. The S Pen only ever worked on the Fold’s inner display, whereas Apple Pencil with USB-C is set to work on either of the Duo’s screens.
Samsung spent two generations subtracting from the Galaxy Z Fold
Samsung did not remove all of this at once. The S Pen and the under-display camera both disappeared with the Galaxy Z Fold 7 in 2025, making the Galaxy Z Fold 6 the last Fold to feature either. The reason given was thickness. The digitiser layer that enables stylus input adds height to the display stack, so removing it helped Samsung reduce the Fold 7 to 8.99mm when folded, and the company has not reinstated it since.
Flex Mode is the more recent loss. Samsung removed it from the standard Galaxy Z Fold 8 in July but retained it on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and the Galaxy Z Flip 8, so the change applies to the wide Fold 8 specifically rather than the entire 2026 lineup.
Reader sentiment on these removals has been notable. When asked in July whether the S Pen was worth paying extra for, roughly three in four respondents said yes. At the same time, the Fold 8 line has been selling around 30 percent ahead of the record-setting Fold 7 in the United States a month after launch, according to Samsung figures.
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Image: phonearena.com
