Apple has unveiled its first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, taking on Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy Z Fold8 (Fold8). Both phones adopt a passport-like short and wide form factor and a 7.6-inch internal screen, but they differ in performance, multitasking and price.

Engadget, an IT media outlet, reported on Sept. 9 that the Fold8 uses a 7.6-inch internal OLED with 2,448 by 1,848 resolution, while the iPhone Duo has a 7.6-inch internal OLED with 1,878 by 2,670 resolution. Both support refresh rates of up to 120Hz. Their external screens are 5.5 inches and 5.4 inches, respectively. Apple applied a nano-texture finish and a titanium support plate to the internal screen.

The Fold8 uses a 3-nanometre-based Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, while the iPhone Duo uses a 2-nanometre-based A20 Pro. Apple said the A20 Pro GPU is up to 40 percent faster than the A19 Pro and memory bandwidth increased by 50 percent. Still, independent benchmarks and real-world testing are needed to compare performance between the two products.

Both phones drop a separate telephoto lens. The Fold8 has 50-megapixel wide and ultra-wide cameras, while the iPhone Duo has 48-megapixel wide and ultra-wide cameras. Samsung Electronics’ strength stands out in software. The iPhone Duo can run 2 apps side by side, but the Fold8 can display up to 5 apps at the same time using up to 3 split screens and window mode, and it also supports Samsung DeX.

The Fold8 has a 4,800 mAh battery. The iPhone Duo did not disclose capacity, but presented video playback times of up to 44 hours on the external screen and 31 hours on the internal screen. Dust and water resistance ratings are IP48 for Samsung and IP68 for Apple. The iPhone Duo uses Touch ID on the side button instead of Face ID.

In the United States, the iPhone Duo starts at $1,999 for the 256GB model (3.29 million won in South Korea), while the Fold8 starts at $1,899.99 ($2,278,100 in South Korea). Samsung Electronics said combined early purchases of the Fold8 and Fold8 Ultra in the United States are running 30 percent higher than the previous Fold7. With Apple’s first entry, competition in the premium foldable market is expected to intensify further.