iPhone Duo: A Breakthrough Innovation or is Apple Just Catching Up?

On 9 September 2026, Apple introduced the iPhone Duo, its first-ever foldable iPhone. Apple calls it a “breakthrough” and highlights its design, engineering and reimagined iOS experience.

I watched the event live and, like many others, had been following the leaks and rumours around a foldable iPhone.

But after seeing launch of the product, I couldn't help asking one question:

Is this really a breakthrough innovation, or is Apple simply catching up?

Let's break down some of Apple's “innovations”.

First, the name: iPhone Duo

Duo?

It immediately reminded me of Microsoft Surface Duo, which shipped in September 2020.

Of course, names can be subjective. But for a company known for creating memorable product names, I expected something a little more original.

iPhone Arc, iPhone Canvas, iPhone Folio.

Even something completely unexpected.

“Thoughtful design and breakthrough engineering in a way only Apple can.”

The design is certainly polished. But the basic form factor isn't new.

The passport-sized foldable that opens into a larger screen has already been explored extensively by Samsung, Xiaomi and others.

Apple may have refined the experience, but refinement and invention aren't necessarily the same thing.

“For the first time, the FaceTime camera is hidden behind the screen.”

This one caught my attention.

An under-display camera is certainly useful for creating an uninterrupted screen. But it isn't a new feature in a product. Samsung introduced an under-display camera with the Galaxy Z Fold3 in 2021 and discontinued it with Galaxy Z Fold6 in 2024.

Samsung discontinued it because they understood and heard customer reviews that the picture quality deteriorates immensely because of simple physics of having multiple unclear layers between the camera and the subject will hamper the image.

So, Apple if you are copying a technology, it should have at least considered that:

If another company has already tried the technology, learned from its limitations and moved on, is repeating the approach really an innovation?

Technology can change.

Physics doesn't.

And then comes the software.

Apple's real strength has always been the integration of hardware, software and ecosystem.

The new Duo brings features around multitasking and pairing apps across the two displays. But similar dual-screen and multitasking experiences have existed across foldable Android devices for years.

So where exactly is the breakthrough?

Perhaps Apple's innovation isn't about inventing every individual technology.

Perhaps it's about taking existing technologies, refining them, integrating them and making them feel mainstream.

But I wouldn't necessarily call it inventing the future.

Maybe Apple should own a different statement:

“We took the best of what the industry has learned and made it feel like an iPhone.”

And honestly, that might be innovation too.