Apple Inc. unveiled the company’s first foldable smartphone during a wide-ranging event Wednesday, betting that a new category can energize growth for its biggest-selling lineup.

The device, called the iPhone Duo, will improve on rivals’ foldable models, newly appointed Chief Executive Officer John Ternus said, mocking competing handsets as two phones glued together.

When unfolded, the Duo provides the largest display ever on an iPhone, at 7.6 inches (19.3 centimeters). There’s also a 5.4-inch outer screen, and the phone can use the iPad’s Apple Pencil stylus.

With the product expansion, Apple aims to show it can refine a category pioneered by Samsung Electronics Co. and other smartphone makers. The Duo is designed to have a sturdier feel, with less of a crease in the middle of the screen when unfolded. The software interface is also meant to capitalize on the new hardware.

The device will sit at the top of Apple’s iPhone lineup, with a cost that starts at $1,999. Preorders will begin Oct. 16 in more than 70 countries and regions, ahead of the phone becoming available on Oct. 23. Prices range up to $3,199 for a version with 2 terabytes of storage space.

The foldable phone represents the largest design change to the iPhone in its history. Still, the announcement was widely anticipated. The shares were little changed at $315.87 in New York.

Earlier in the event, which was livestreamed from the company’s headquarters in Cupertino, California, Apple introduced upgrades of the pro iPhone line, AirPods and its smartwatches.

The new iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max — like the Duo — will sport the speedier A20 chip. They also offer the longest battery life in iPhone history, Apple said. That includes 45 hours of video playback on the larger model and 36 hours on the smaller version. The iPhone Duo is rated at 31 hours for the interior display.

The tech giant is also including faster wired charging, which will allow for six hours of video playback after a five-minute charge on the 18 Pro models. A new entry-level iPhone 18 wasn’t introduced at the event. Apple is switching its schedule in order to debut that model in the spring, alongside a lower-budget iPhone 18e and the slim iPhone Air 2, Bloomberg News has previously reported.

The new AirPods 5 offer improved noise cancellation and transparency mode and come in two versions: a $129 base model and a $149 version that adds better battery life and the ability to swipe up and down on the stem to control volume levels.

As part of the rollout, Apple increased the price of the Pro models by $100. The iPhone 18 Pro will be $1,199, while the Pro Max will cost $1,299. They both start with 256 gigabytes of storage. Preorders begin on Sept. 12, with the products going on sale Sept. 18.

The iPhone 18 Pro comes in new burgundy, black and glacier color options, in addition to last year’s silver. There’s also a next-generation vapor chamber that helps manage heat.

The presentation serves as a debut for Ternus, who took the helm on Sept. 1. Longtime CEO Tim Cook is remaining at Apple as executive chairman. “I couldn’t be more proud of the teams across Apple who made today possible,” Ternus said.

Apple updated its watch lineup with new Series 12 and Ultra 4 models. The company touted the devices’ new more powerful S11 chips and expanded audio intelligence capabilities. A feature called Live Rewind, for instance, will let users go back in time 15 seconds to get a readout of what was just said.

There’s also a Siri Recaps option on the new watches that can provide a summary of a user’s conversations throughout their day. Apple previewed new health features as well, including a redesigned iPhone health app.

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