- Apple has officially named its first foldable smartphone iPhone Duo, ending months of “iPhone Ultra” speculation.
- Mark Gurman says the Duo branding leaves room for future models such as a possible iPhone Duo Max.
- Apple’s entry could help make foldable phones more mainstream, although the Duo starts at a premium price.
Over the past several months, there was hardly any conversation about Apple’s first foldable iPhone that did not involve the iPhone Ultra. Even those who kept track of Apple’s developments, like me, had considered this phone’s name a sure thing.
However, Apple decided to surprise everyone. On September 9, Apple finally unveiled its first foldable iPhone and named it the iPhone Duo, and Mark Gurman’s report on Bloomberg reveals the reasons for this name choice. Let’s look into the story a little bit deeper.
Apple’s iPhone Duo lineup could expand beyond the first foldable
The exciting thing is that Apple may not consider the Duo as an experiment with one single phone model. Apple picked Duo in large part due to the name’s ability to offer flexibility for a larger line of foldable devices in the future, says Gurman.
Names like Ultra would have made that strategy difficult. Let me explain what I mean by this. Apple already has names like Pro, Air, and Max for its different products. The naming convention could ultimately apply to the Duo series.
Gurman has already mentioned the possibilities of iPhone Duo Max, which will come with bigger screens. The iPhone Duo Mini and iPhone Duo SE have also been suggested by Gurman, though there have been no announcements from Apple yet.
It makes everything clearer for us. It makes perfect sense for “iPhone Duo Max“ to be used as a product extension. Not so with iPhone Ultra Max.
Duo tells us more about what is inside
There is also an obvious explanation for the name used. The iPhone Duo has two screens; one is 7.6 inches large when unfolded, while the other is 5.4 inches when folded. The company has even designed the software taking into account the larger folding screen in mind, with capabilities to view and use the screen for multitasking. Hence, as compared to Ultra, Duo really gives us an idea about the phone.
Apple wagers big on foldables
The first generation definitely isn’t being positioned as a cheap experiment. The iPhone Duo starts at $1,999, and the higher-capacity versions go up to $3,000. The pre-order begins from October 16, and shipping will start from October 23 in India, among other countries.
For me, the more fascinating aspect would be how things unfold going forward. If Apple succeeds in making foldable smartphones as reliable as a typical iPhone, the iPhone Duo range would grow exponentially bigger than just the first-gen device.
Overall, while at first sight the transition from Ultra to Duo appeared to be merely a marketing strategy, today it can be viewed differently. Although Apple has presented just one Duo smartphone, the name allows for many possibilities for developing a range of foldable devices. Let me know your thoughts about this in the comment section.
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