iPhone Duo or Galaxy Z Fold8 and Fold8 Ultra: the weight, the cameras and the $100 either sideiPhone Duo or Galaxy Z Fold8 and Fold8 Ultra: the weight, the cameras and the $100 either side

Apple's first folding iPhone, the iPhone Duo, goes on pre-order on 16 October against two Samsung phones already on sale, the Galaxy Z Fold8 and Fold8 Ultra.

On US list prices the three sit almost exactly 100 dollars apart. Samsung's US store lists the Fold8 from 1,899.99 dollars and the Fold8 Ultra from 2,099.99. Apple lists the Duo at 1,999 dollars with 256GB, rising to 2,199 for 512GB, 2,599 for 1TB and 3,199 for 2TB. All prices are US, checked on 4 October. Samsung's store was also advertising 300 dollars off without a trade-in, and iClarified noted the Ultra briefly selling below the Duo's price on 2 October, so the Samsung gap moves week to week. Apple's store says pre-orders open at 5am Pacific on 16 October and the phone arrives on 23 October.

Specifications side by side

Apple's and Samsung's battery ratings use different video tests and cannot be compared directly. Samsung gives the Fold8 a 4,800mAh battery and the Ultra 5,000mAh; Apple does not give a capacity, only that the Duo has two cells. Apple says the Duo reaches 50 per cent in about 20 minutes on a 60W adapter and charges at up to 25W over MagSafe and Qi2. Samsung rates the Ultra for 45W wired charging with a charger sold separately. iClarified gives the Fold8's ultra wide as 50MP and says the standard Fold8 lacks Samsung's Flex Mode for propping the phone half open; neither detail is on the Samsung pages we read.

Which foldable should you buy?

Buy the iPhone Duo if you already live on an iPhone and want a bigger screen without leaving. Your apps, purchases, iMessage history and Apple Watch come with you, and nothing else in this comparison offers that. It also has the strongest water and dust rating of the three, IP68 against IP48, which matters more on a phone with a hinge, and Apple has said the Duo's inner screen has a replaceable cover layer, the part most likely to wear.

Buy the Fold8 if weight is what puts you off foldables. At 201g it is 53g lighter than the Duo, close to the gap between a normal phone and a heavy one, and it is the cheapest of the three.

Buy the Fold8 Ultra if you take photos of things you cannot walk up to. It is the only one with a real telephoto lens, a 3x 10MP camera, where the Duo and Fold8 crop the main sensor for their 2x. Its 6.5-inch cover screen is also shaped like a normal phone, so you can use it closed for most of the day.

Our take

The Duo's case rests almost entirely on iOS. On hardware alone it is the heaviest and thickest of the three and the only one without a telephoto, and it costs more than the standard Fold8. What Apple offers instead is the IP68 rating, the longest battery rating on its own test, and the promise that iPhone apps will adapt to the inner screen. That promise is the part to watch. Apple's guidance tells developers not to build layouts on the hinge angle, which is sensible, but it also means how well your favourite apps use 7.6 inches will vary app by app on launch day.

At APPDOOK we would not switch platforms for any of these phones. An Android owner who wants a foldable has had good choices for years and the Fold8 Ultra is the most complete of them. An iPhone owner who has waited this long gains little by switching weeks before Apple's arrives. The real decision for iPhone owners is the one we set out between the Duo and the iPhone 18 Pro Max: whether a folding screen is worth carrying 254g.

That is something to settle in a hand rather than on a spec sheet, so try one before ordering. In the UK, MacRumors and AppleInsider report that Apple SouthGate in Bath, closed for renovation since 4 July, reopens on 23 October, the Duo's launch day, with a redesigned Genius Bar and a dedicated pickup counter. MacRumors notes Apple Lakeside in Essex reopened after a renovation in September.