Semafor reported on October 15, 2026, that Apple planned to launch its first foldable iPhone in China with Alibaba AI. Apple’s September 9 announcement names the device iPhone Duo and schedules its availability in China for October 23, 2026. Apple’s announcement lists China among the phone’s initial markets, while Semafor’s report, republished by Yahoo Finance, describes the Alibaba AI plan.
Two separate AI plans in China
The reported Alibaba AI feature is tied to iPhone Duo’s China launch. A separate plan concerns Apple Intelligence, Apple’s broader AI platform: Semafor described a planned mainland China debut, and Bloomberg’s October 14 headline placed Apple’s first AI features there in December. NeoTeo’s earlier coverage of the separate Apple Intelligence plan for mainland China provides more context.
Foldables had a larger sales share in China in 2025
Foldable phones accounted for 3.4% of smartphone sales in China in 2025, compared with 1.6% worldwide, according to Applesfera’s report. China’s share was about 2.1 times the global share, although foldables still represented a small portion of China’s smartphone sales.
