iPhone Duo Passes 260,000 Folds in Ongoing CNET Test

Apple's first foldable, the iPhone Duo, opened preorders on Friday, October 16 and went on sale Friday, October 23, according to Mashable's September 10 buying guide. Apple announced the phone at its September 9 event alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. The Duo starts at $1,999 for a 256GB model, and the top 2TB model costs $3,199. It comes in star white and night sky, which the guide notes is navy.

The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max began preorders on Saturday, September 12 and reached stores on Friday, September 18. The Pro starts at $1,199 and the Pro Max at $1,299. Apple offers four colors: burgundy, glacier, silver, and black. Shoppers could preorder through the Apple Store, Best Buy, AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile.

Apple also introduced 24-month leases for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo. Leasing the Pro starts at $34.99 per month and the Duo at $57.99 per month; Apple says the leases let you upgrade at any point. Mashable noted that Apple did not announce a base iPhone 18 in September, and that model is rumored to arrive in spring 2027.

CNET has been running the iPhone Duo through a custom Fold-a-Phone machine that folds and unfolds the device around the clock, 9to5Mac reported on November 5. The machine had surpassed 260,000 folds when the livestream ended on November 4. The hinge and crease seemed to be holding up extremely well, according to 9to5Mac, and CNET says it will keep testing daily until at least November 20 to see whether anything shifts.

ABC7 Bay Area reported on Monday, November 2 that cybersecurity experts warn scammers are exploiting the iPhone Duo launch. A Trend Micro report found a surge of new sites mimicking Apple's iPhone Duo order pages, promising discounts, early access, and giveaways. Some fake sites collect credit card information when users attempt to buy a phone; others carry code that can pull personal information off a device.

Trend Micro advises shoppers to stay on Apple's official site or another known retailer and to double-check the URL. The firm says countdown timers that create urgency are a warning sign. If a website requests pairing or linking with WhatsApp or another messaging service, Trend Micro says to refuse, because scammers could then send messages pretending to be you.