Apple’s iPhone Duo Foldable Faces a Big Test as Indonesia Launch Remains Unclear

Apple executives present the iPhone Duo foldable during a product presentation at the company’s headquarters in California. (Red/Ist)

PEWARTA.CO.ID — Apple has entered the foldable smartphone market with the iPhone Duo, a major design shift for the iPhone that carries a starting price of US$1,999 in the United States while its availability in Indonesia remains uncertain.

The foldable iPhone was unveiled at Apple's headquarters in California on Wednesday, Sept. 9, with preorders scheduled to begin Oct. 16 in the United States, the UK, Singapore and Malaysia.

Prices vary significantly by market. In the UK, the iPhone Duo is priced at £1,999, equivalent to about Rp45.2 million, while prices in the US range from US$1,999, or about Rp33.4 million, to US$3,200, or around Rp56.3 million.

In Singapore, the device is priced at about 3,099 Singapore dollars, equivalent to approximately Rp43 million. There is currently no information on when preorders for the foldable iPhone will open in Indonesia, while its potential Indonesian price is estimated at Rp42 million to Rp48 million based on global pricing.

Eight years in development

The iPhone Duo represents a significant departure from Apple's familiar smartphone design, with development reportedly taking eight years.

John Ternus, Apple's new executive director who took over from Tim Cook this month, was directly involved in the project while serving as a senior hardware executive.

Ternus described the device as an attempt to establish a different standard for foldable phones, saying it “redefines the experience of using a foldable phone.”

“Others have already created foldable phones, but they feel like two phones simply glued together,” Ternus said.

When folded, the device is designed to resemble a wider iPhone, while opening it gives the appearance of a small iPad. Ternus said its passport-like dimensions are intended to make it familiar to hold and comfortable to use with one hand.

“It is truly new. At the same time, it feels very familiar. With a size similar to a passport, the device feels familiar in your hand and is comfortable to use with one hand,” he said.

China becomes a key battleground

Apple's entry comes after Samsung and Huawei have spent several years developing the foldable smartphone market, leaving the company to compete against established players.

Francisco Jeronimo, vice president of devices, data and analytics at IDC EMEA, said Apple's new device will have to contend with strong competition, particularly from Huawei, which controls nearly 80% of China's foldable phone market.

“The real battle is in China,” Jeronimo said.

Ben Wood, chief analyst at technology research firm FDM CCS Insight, said Ternus' promotion may have been deliberately timed to coincide with one of Apple's biggest iPhone launches in recent years.

“Nothing happens by accident at Apple,” Wood said.

Carolina Milanesi, an analyst at Creative Strategies who attended the iPhone Duo presentation, said the attention surrounding Ternus made it seem “as if he himself were the product being introduced.”

Foldable phones remain a small market

The iPhone Duo also faces a broader challenge: foldable smartphones still represent a relatively small share of the overall smartphone market.

Wood noted that foldable smartphones from Samsung and Huawei currently account for only 2% of smartphone sales. FDM CCS Insight expects the segment to reach just 4% of the total market over the next decade, even with Apple's entry potentially increasing consumer interest and demand.

Milanesi said foldable devices are attractive to many consumers, but software and the adjustment required when moving from a conventional smartphone to a foldable model can be difficult.

“The foldable phone is actually an interesting device. Many people are interested in it, but the software and the adaptation required when switching from a traditional phone to a foldable phone are not easy,” Milanesi said.

That adjustment could become another obstacle for Apple because iPhone users have become accustomed to the company's established user experience.

A test of Apple's innovation strategy

The foldable iPhone arrives amid questions about Apple's ability to deliver major product innovation after the original iPhone debuted in 2007.

The device could provide a significant new direction for the iPhone, but analysts also warn that its premium price could limit its impact on Apple's broader growth.

“Foldable phones risk becoming premium-priced devices without making a meaningful impact on growth,” said Dipanjan Chatterjee, an analyst at Forrester.

Chatterjee compared the potential outcome with Apple's Vision Pro spatial computer, which launched at US$3,699, or about Rp69 million, but failed to become a widely sought-after product.

Another possibility is that the iPhone Duo could follow the path of the Apple Watch, which, despite being less popular than the iPhone, continues to sell to millions of people each year.

The new foldable also sits well above the previous highest starting price for Apple's latest iPhones, which was US$900, or about Rp15.8 million.

Apple has also announced the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, priced at US$1,199 and US$1,299, equivalent to about Rp21 million and Rp22.8 million, respectively.

AI becomes another focus of Apple's latest lineup

Alongside its hardware announcements, Apple highlighted a revamped Siri assistant, now referred to as Siri AI.

Starting with the iPhone 18, the assistant will be able to search for information, access messages and emails, answer questions and take actions on behalf of users.

Some Siri AI features will also come to the new Apple Watch, including the ability to record conversations and generate transcripts when users activate the feature.

Ternus described the new AI capabilities on the iPhone as a “personalized command center” and acknowledged that Apple would use “the most personal details of users' everyday lives.”

He said Apple would keep that information private and would not route it through third-party companies.

“Elsewhere, data is seen as something that can be collected and stored. Here, even Apple cannot access what belongs to you,” Ternus said.

The stakes are particularly high because the iPhone remains Apple's best-selling product and accounts for more than half of the company's sales each year. Apple has also said demand for the iPhone has strengthened in recent quarters, with the iPhone 17 described by the company as its most successful product launch ever.