Alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models, Apple announced something genuinely new: iPhone Duo, its first folding iPhone. It opens to a 7.6-inch display and closes to a 5.4-inch one, comes in star white and night sky, and starts at £1,999. Pre-orders open on Friday 16 October and it goes on sale on Friday 23 October.
If you are considering one, the single most useful thing you can do before pre-orders open is work out what your current iPhone is worth. Folding phones sit at the very top of the market, and the handset in your pocket is the most straightforward way to bring that number down.
What Apple Announced#
Everything below is confirmed by Apple — no rumours.
| Detail | Confirmed |
|---|---|
| Name | iPhone Duo |
| UK price | From £1,999 (256GB) |
| Storage | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB |
| Displays | 7.6-inch inside, 5.4-inch outside |
| Colours | Star white and night sky |
| Pre-orders | Friday 16 October |
| On sale | Friday 23 October |
Already have one, or about to? We quote for iPhone Duo now — sell an iPhone Duo for a live price. If you are choosing between the foldable and a Pro model instead, we also buy the iPhone 18 Pro Max and iPhone 18 Pro.
Funding It With the Phone You Already Own#
This is the part you can act on today. Our top pristine quotes on 18 August 2026 — the ceiling for a flawless, unlocked handset at the highest storage tier:
| Your current iPhone | Top quote |
|---|---|
| iPhone 17 Pro Max | £905 |
| iPhone 17 Pro | £716 |
| iPhone 16 Pro Max | £711 |
| iPhone 16 Pro | £606 |
| iPhone 15 Pro Max | £511 |
| iPhone 16 | £476 |
| iPhone 15 Pro | £441 |
| iPhone 14 Pro Max | £401 |
For anyone holding a recent Pro Max, that is a substantial contribution to a top-of-range purchase — and it is the difference between the foldable being a stretch and being reasonable.
Cash or Apple Credit?#
For a top-of-range purchase this distinction matters more than usual.
Apple Trade In gives you credit against an Apple purchase. Convenient if you are buying direct, and it happens in one transaction. The limitation is that the value only spends at Apple.
Cash from a buyback goes into your bank account. You can then buy from Apple, take a carrier deal, or wait — whichever turns out to be best once actual pricing exists.
On a first-generation product where you may genuinely change your mind after the reviews land, flexibility has real value. Credit commits you to the purchase before you have seen it; cash does not.
The First-Generation Question#
Worth being honest about. First-generation hardware from any manufacturer — Apple included — carries more unknowns than a mature product line. Folding displays in particular have taken several generations across the industry to become reliably durable, and early software often needs a cycle to settle.
None of that means the product will be bad. It means the risk profile differs from buying an iPhone 18 Pro, which is an iteration of something Apple has refined for years.
If waiting a generation appeals, that is a legitimate choice. Just build the cost of waiting into it: your current phone will be worth meaningfully less by the time a second-generation foldable arrives. The generational price ladder shows how much value a year typically removes.
What to Do Before 23 October#
Check your exact model and storage
Settings → General → About. Storage tiers can differ by more than £200 on a Pro Max.
Get a quote and lock it
This protects your price through the launch window. Ours holds for 14 days.
Keep the phone protected
Case and screen protector until the day you sell. A drop from Fair to Poor grade costs far more than any timing decision.
Decide on pre-order or wait
Pre-orders open 16 October. Your locked quote holds for 14 days, so time the lock to when you will actually post.
Read the reviews before committing
Especially on a first-generation folding device. There is no prize for pre-ordering blind.
Post your old phone once the new one arrives
Back up, sign out of your Apple Account, turn off Find My, erase, then send.