Apple Unveils First Foldable iPhone Duo at USD1,999, China Price RMB15,999

Apple held an event on September 9, 2026, at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California, where new Chief Executive John Ternus introduced the company's first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo. The device uses a book-style folding design, with a 5.4-inch cover screen when closed and a 7.6-inch inner display when fully unfolded. The iPhone Duo starts at USD1,999, with the top configuration priced at USD3,199, and a China price of RMB15,999. Pre-orders begin on October 16, 2026, and official sales start on October 23.

Greater China is Apple's third-largest market, contributing about 17% of total revenue, and is also one of the world's most competitive foldable phone markets. Huawei, Xiaomi, Honor, Oppo and Vivo all sell book-style and flip-style foldable models, and Huawei also offers a triple-folding product. On September 7, 2026, Xiaomi and Huawei each launched new flagship foldable models, the Xiaomi 18 Fold and the triple-folding Mate XT2, priced at RMB10,999 and RMB19,999, respectively. The Xiaomi 18 Fold went on sale on September 10, while the Huawei Mate XT2 went on sale several days later.

In the first and second quarters of 2026, Huawei ranked first in China's smartphone market by shipments, with Apple second, followed by Vivo and Oppo. Globally, in the second quarter of 2026, Samsung narrowly overtook Apple in smartphone shipments, with Xiaomi third. Samsung launched a new-generation foldable phone earlier in 2026 and currently holds a 32% share of the foldable market, while Apple and Huawei hold 25% and 24%, respectively.

In the Chinese market, discussion around the iPhone Duo has centered on its price and comparisons with domestic foldable models. The Huawei Mate XT2 at RMB19,999 and the Xiaomi 18 Fold at RMB10,999 fall within the same price range as the iPhone Duo at RMB15,999.