Apple’s Foldable iPhone Faces Price, Purpose and Rivalry Tests

Apple’s first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, is entering China at a challenging time and into a market already dominated by established domestic competitors. The device will cost 15,999 yuan ($2,230), placing it above Xiaomi’s newly launched 18 Fold at 10,999 yuan but below Huawei’s premium Mate XT2 trifold at 19,999 yuan. The pricing has become the central issue in early Chinese consumer discussions, with many social media users questioning whether the iPhone Duo offers enough value to justify its premium. Some WeChat commenters said they would wait for a second-generation model, while others compared Chinese incomes and prices with those in the United States. Consumers also raised concerns about the phone’s lack of a physical SIM-card slot, which could require mainland users to visit a carrier store for identity verification before activating an eSIM. Apple’s challenge is particularly significant because Greater China contributes roughly 17% of its total revenue and is one of the world’s most competitive foldable-phone markets. Huawei, Xiaomi, Honor, Oppo and Vivo already offer book-style and flip-style foldables, while Huawei also sells trifold devices. Huawei led China’s smartphone market in both the first and second quarters, with Apple in second place, according to Counterpoint. The iPhone Duo will begin pre-orders in China on October 16 and go on sale October 23. Xiaomi’s 18 Fold and Huawei’s Mate XT2 will reach consumers earlier. Although Apple’s shares rose more than 3% after the launch, the company’s ability to gain share in China’s mature foldable market will depend on whether consumers accept its price and product choices.

Apple has launched its first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, at a starting price of US$1,999, prompting questions about who the device is actually designed for. Demonstrated at an event in Cupertino, California, the phone featured an expanded display capable of running apps such as Zoom, Slack and Netflix, with Apple presenting it as suitable for work, content creation, entertainment and use as a personal artificial-intelligence hub. However, Apple executives did not clearly identify the target customer or articulate a specific purpose for the expensive device. Analysts said Apple’s brand reputation and loyal customer base should generate strong initial demand. Counterpoint Research estimated that Apple could sell nearly 6 million units by the end of 2026, potentially giving it about a quarter of the global foldable-phone market. Nevertheless, the phone’s high price—rising to US$3,199 for the highest-storage model—could limit it to wealthy early adopters and status-conscious consumers, particularly because younger buyers may be unable or unwilling to pay so much. The article compares Apple’s launch strategy with earlier products. Apple successfully refined the iPad’s positioning from a media device into a professional creative tool, while the Apple Watch evolved from a fashion-oriented product into a health and fitness accessory. By contrast, analysts see similarities between the foldable iPhone and the Vision Pro headset, whose advanced technology was undermined by its high cost and uncertain everyday use. Apple is entering a market led by Samsung, which holds about 40 per cent of global foldable-phone sales, alongside products from Google and Huawei. Although Apple’s arrival is expected to produce the sector’s biggest annual shipment increase since 2021, foldables are still projected to represent less than 3 per cent of the global smartphone market in 2026. The central challenge is therefore not technological capability, but whether Apple can persuade mainstream consumers that the iPhone Duo serves a compelling need.

The article explains how Apple’s newly unveiled iPhone Duo can use a foldable glass display without the screen cracking under repeated bending. The phone reportedly has a 7.6-inch foldable glass screen, with the key component being an ultra-thin layer of glass measuring less than 30 micrometers—far thinner than a human hair. At that thickness, the glass experiences less strain when curved, allowing it to bend instead of breaking. The article compares this principle to the difference between thin paper, which bends easily, and wood, which is more likely to resist bending or snap under pressure. The display is not made from glass alone. It reportedly combines flexible boron trioxide glass with durable transparent plastic and elastic adhesives. These layers are designed to work together and withstand repeated folding without suffering significant damage. The construction illustrates how materials engineering, rather than glass strength alone, enables a foldable screen to remain functional. Apple introduced the iPhone Duo on Sept 9 as its first foldable smartphone. The company is entering a market already served by Google, Samsung and Motorola, whose devices also feature displays capable of bending. Apple’s chief executive, John Ternus, presented the Duo as more than an incremental product, saying it would “redesign the experience of using a foldable phone.” Overall, the article focuses on the engineering behind the device and the challenge of making a thin, flexible display durable enough for everyday use.

CNBC’s Daily Open surveys several major business and geopolitical developments, beginning with Samsung’s mocking response to Apple’s entry into the foldable-phone market. Hours after Apple unveiled its first foldable iPhone, Samsung published social-media posts accusing Apple of presenting old technology as new, including the phrases “so far, so same” and “Let us know when you’re done reheating our leftovers.” Samsung has dominated the foldable category since 2019. The article then turns to markets, where U.S. crude oil prices climbed above $100 per barrel as the U.S.-Iran war continued and attacks affected tankers and regional infrastructure. Higher energy prices have increased expectations that the Federal Reserve could raise interest rates at its next meeting, while the European Central Bank has already raised its policy rate to 2.5% amid concerns about inflation and weaker growth. U.S. stock futures were largely unchanged ahead of a key consumer-inflation report. President Trump’s proposed $5,000 payment to adult Americans, reportedly contingent on Republican success in the next midterm elections, faced immediate bipartisan criticism. The article estimates that distributing the payments to roughly 245.3 million adult citizens would cost more than $1.2 trillion. Other sections examine India’s dependence on China for solar, battery, and critical-mineral supplies; Ford’s planned $1 billion investment in a Kentucky Truck Plant paint shop amid U.S. scrutiny of Chinese supply-chain ties; and Oracle’s rising stock price after cloud-infrastructure revenue more than doubled, driven by artificial-intelligence demand. The closing analysis argues that AI may be losing its dominance as the main force influencing U.S. equities, with bond-market volatility increasingly shaping investor behavior.