The iPhone Duo is the official name of Apple’s first foldable iPhone, putting an end to months of speculation that the device would be called the iPhone Ultra. For a lengthy period, the iPhone Ultra name dominated rumour coverage, but Apple ultimately settled on iPhone Duo when it announced the handset.
The iPhone Duo name was not entirely unexpected. John Gruber of Daring Fireball correctly predicted the branding as far back as April, and the name resurfaced on social media in the week before the launch.
Why the iPhone Ultra name gained traction
The iPhone Ultra label became the more widely used term after Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman suggested in March that it could be a fitting name for the foldable device. He later reported that many Apple employees referred to the product internally as the iPhone Ultra. Former Macworld reporter Filipe Espósito also cited a source familiar with Apple’s plans who claimed the foldable iPhone would carry the Ultra name. That information proved incorrect. Gurman went on to confirm the iPhone Duo name in a report published shortly before Apple unveiled the device.
Apple’s decision to steer clear of the Ultra branding is understandable, given that the foldable iPhone is not the most advanced iPhone on offer in every respect. While it features a large 7.6-inch inner display when opened, it omits a dedicated Telephoto camera, Face ID and an Action button.
Apple’s history with Duo and Ultra branding
Apple has used Duo branding before, notably for the PowerBook Duo range of laptops in the 1990s and the MagSafe Duo Charger in the early 2020s. In the context of this handset, the word Duo refers to the device’s dual screens.
The company continues to apply Ultra branding to several products and services, including the Apple Watch Ultra, CarPlay Ultra, and its M1 Ultra through M5 Ultra line of chips. With Apple rumoured to be planning a special 20th-anniversary iPhone, there remains a possibility that the iPhone Ultra name could be revived in the future.
For now, the iPhone Ultra rumour has been laid to rest, with Apple’s foldable device officially branded the iPhone Duo.
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Image: macrumors.com
