AT&T CEO drops a hot take on the new Apple iPhone Duo

Primary Journalistic Dispatch & Direct Reporting

AT&T CEO John Stankey was in San Francisco on Sept. 9 for the Goldman Sachs Communacopia and Technology Conference, the same day Apple held its event.

Yahoo Finance's Brian Sozzi pulled him aside and asked what he made of the $1,999 iPhone Duo. Stankey did not hold back.

"The best characterization I can give is, looking at the foldable phones that have been out in the market, this is not new," Stankey told Yahoo Finance .

In-Depth Developments & Factual Context

He brought up Android foldables as his evidence. Samsung, Google, and others have been selling foldable phones for years. They get good reviews. They have loyal fans. Yet they have never broken through to the average buyer.

"Android users are as passionate about Android as iOS users are about iOS," Stankey said. "They're a smaller percentage of the U.S. market, but they are still passionate, and there's been some really good foldable devices in the Android ecosystem for a couple years. And what we've seen is that it tends to function more as a specific niche type application as opposed to [being] broadly accepted."

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Industry Impact & Strategic Analysis

He acknowledged Apple could prove him wrong, but said he doubted it.

"Will iOS users view it differently, or will there be some unique take that Apple comes up with that changes that penetration dynamic a little bit?" Stankey said. "I suppose it's possible, but my guess right now is we're going to kind of see it contained to a portion of the user base that wants that larger device and is maybe willing to invest more money to pick it up and get it."

Samsung has had the market to itself for years, having launched its first Galaxy Fold in 2019 and having sold foldables every year since. IDC analyst Francisco Jeronimo, however, puts foldable phones at only about 2.2% of global smartphone sales in 2026.

Forward Outlook & Market Perspective

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 runs $1,899, and Apple wants $1,999 for the Duo, reinforcing that foldables are still a niche product.

Apple unveiled the Duo at its Sept. 9 event. New CEO John Ternus ran the show for the first time, walking through the iPhone 18 Pro, AirPods 5, and Apple Watch Series 12 before saving the Duo for last.

The Duo has a 5.4-inch screen on the outside and a 7.6-inch display when unfolded, according to CNBC . It folds like a book and slips into a pocket.

Open it up, and the screen is large enough to watch a video, work across two apps, or do anything that usually requires a tablet. Apple priced it at $1,999. No iPhone has ever cost that much.

IDC projects foldables will reach 3.1% of global smartphone volume by 2030, even with Apple now in the market.

In revenue, they punch above their weight at about 6.9% of global smartphone sales in 2026, because the price tags are high. But unit volume has been the category's stubborn weak spot for years.

Reporting synthesized and verified under Nexvoro.tech editorial guidelines. Full primary records referenced via Google News US Technology.