Apple's First Folding iPhone Costs $3,499. Is It Worth It?

Apple has just announced its first foldable phone, called the iPhone Duo. It goes on sale in Australia on October 23 and costs $3,499. The phone folds in half like a book and opens up to a 7.6-inch screen, which is about the size of a small tablet. It is the most expensive iPhone ever made.

The iPhone Duo folds down to the size of a passport, so it fits in your pocket even though it opens into a big screen. The most expensive version, with 2 terabytes of storage, costs $5,899. Apple says the battery lasts two full days without needing a charge, which is better than most phones today.

Compared to rival phones, the Duo is pricey. A Motorola Razr Fold costs up to $1,200 less and has a bigger screen. Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 starts at about $800 less than the Duo. Those phones also have features the Duo is missing, like a telephoto camera lens.

Even so, the writer believes Apple will sell every single Duo it makes. Apple has a long history of arriving late to a new type of product but then becoming the leader in that space. The company did not invent the MP3 player, the smartphone, the tablet, or the smartwatch. But the iPod, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch all ended up defining their categories.

Apple's new boss, John Ternus, unveiled the iPhone Duo just nine days after becoming chief executive. He announced it with Apple's famous phrase 'one more thing,' made famous by Apple founder Steve Jobs. Ternus is an engineer, and the Duo shows it — the hinge alone has more than 100 parts.

Foldable phones are still rare in Australia. Fewer than one in 30 phones sold there last year was a foldable. But book-style foldables — the kind that open like a small tablet — already make up 60 to 65 percent of foldable phone sales in the country.

A digital agency owner named Ben Henzell is already lining up to buy the Duo. He says Apple has the engineering skill and brand name to bring foldable phones to everyday people. He thinks the last time something this big happened was when the original iPad came out.

The writer tested a foldable Motorola phone and stopped bringing an iPad to work because of it. When unfolded, the screen is big enough to watch a show on a plane or work with two apps open at once. This is the main reason people might spend so much on the Duo: it works as both a phone and a tablet.

There are some real downsides to foldable phones. You can still see a crease in the screen when light hits it, and the water resistance is weaker than on a regular phone. Repair costs can be very high if the screen breaks, and Apple has not yet shared details about its protection plan for the Duo.

Phones cost more this year in general. Apple did not release a standard iPhone 18 at all, and the cheapest new iPhone now costs $2,099. Computer memory is scarce and expensive, and companies are passing that extra cost on to customers. Still, most buyers can use payment plans through carriers like Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone to spread out the cost over time.