“Two bites of the Apple: the year of iPhone just split in two”
Ernest Doku, Uswitch mobiles expert, comments on the launch of Apple's iPhone 18 Pro, Pro Max and Duo:
“Apple is giving itself two bites of the mobile market from now on. For the first time, its autumn line-up arrived without a standard iPhone – tonight was reserved for its priciest, most feature-forward models, the 18 Pro, Pro Max and Apple’s first foldable, the iPhone Duo. There was no mention of a standard iPhone 18, but reports point to it landing in spring alongside the 18e and a second-generation Air.
“The Duo is undoubtedly the headline act – Apple's biggest gamble in years, and its most expensive iPhone yet, starting at £1,999 and rising to an eye-watering £3,199 for 2TB of storage.
“Apple’s new foldable is a first-generation device with first-generation trade-offs – Touch ID instead of Face ID, and a smaller battery than the Pro Max – all at a higher cost. You could get an iPhone 17, an iPad Air and an Apple Watch for less.
“Apple has clearly spent its first-gen effort on the bit that matters most for a fold: the hinge. Early looks suggest a genuinely crease-free display, the complaint that's dogged every foldable phone to date, so if it holds up in daily use, that alone could be the difference-maker against Samsung.
“The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max have had a proper upgrade: a faster A20 Pro chip, longer battery life and a main camera that adjusts to let in more or less light, giving far more control over your shots. Prices have edged up with them, starting at £1,199 and £1,299 – up £100 on last year – as the same memory chip scarcity behind Apple's autumn-only line-up makes every phone dearer to build.
“There are smart ways to play it. The iPhone 17 just became Apple's mainstay for another six months, so unusually for a year-old iPhone, you're not buying something about to be replaced, meaning we may not see networks compete hard on 17 deals this Black Friday. If the Duo or Pros have turned your head, get a trade-in quote on your existing device before pre-orders open – values run around 25% higher in the weeks ahead of a launch, which puts more in your pocket towards the cost of an upgrade.”
-ENDS-
For more information
Harriet Atkinson | Telecoms PR Manager
harriet.atkinson@rvu.co.uk
Twitter: @UswitchPR
Notes to editors
Price comparison: the iPhone 17 (256GB) is £799, the iPad Air 11-inch (M4, 128GB, Wi-Fi) is £749 and the Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS) is £219 – a combined £1,767, below the iPhone Duo’s £1,999 starting price. Specifying an Apple Watch Series 11 (42mm, GPS) at £369 instead gives a total of £1,917. iPhone and iPad prices are taken from Apple's UK online store; Apple Watch prices from UK retail listings at John Lewis and Currys. Prices are for Wi-Fi-only (iPad) and GPS-only (Apple Watch) configurations, exclude delivery, accessories, AppleCare and any trade-in or education discount, and are correct at the time of writing.
Trade-in figures are based on Uswitch's own trade-in quote data via Reboxed, September 2025 to August 2026. Average iPhone trade-in values peaked in the September–November window and were around 25% higher than in the June–August period before the following launch. Sample sizes for the most recent models are small; figures are most reliable for the iPhone 14 and 15.
Foldable market forecasts: IDC forecasts worldwide foldable smartphone shipments to grow 30% year on year in 2026, boosted by the first Apple foldable. Counterpoint Research projects Apple's foldable will take around 25% of global foldable smartphone sales in its launch year.
Apple's new Siri features require an iPhone 15 Pro or newer.
[Bracketed figures (Duo price, Pro and Pro Max prices and year-on-year rise, spring 2027 date) are placeholders – fill in from Apple's confirmed pricing on the night. Duo hardware details (Touch ID, dual camera) and Pro upgrades reflect pre-launch reporting – verify against the keynote before sending. The two-launch cadence is Uswitch's read of Apple's strategy rather than anything Apple has announced – if Apple confirms spring timing on the night, the line stands.]