September 12th Tech news roundup: Apple unveils the iPhone Duo, Gemini app for Windows released, iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max announced

iPhone Duo is Apple’s first foldable device

Apple’s new CEO, John Ternus announced the company’s first foldable device, the Apple Duo. The phone’s size resembles a passport when folded, it has a 5.4-inch external display. Opening it reveals a 7.6-inch screen, with a custom nano-texture that is designed to minimize glare. ProMotion is supported on both displays, and they have the same aspect ratio. The iPhone Duo is fairly thin at 5.2mm when opened, but more than twice as thick at 11.3mm when closed.

The inner screen does not have a Dynamic Island, nor does it house the Face ID Cameras. But it does have a selfie camera under the foldable screen. One of the side buttons on the device has a Touch ID sensor to unlock the phone. Apple has equipped the Duo with a a six-core A20 Pro chipset, and a C20 modem.  The device has a titanium frame with ceramic fibers, and a ceramic glass panel on the front and rear.

The iPhone Duo runs on iOS 27, apps and content will expand or react seamlessly when opening or closing the screen. Users can open two apps at the same time for multitasking, when the phone is opened. Instead of a bottom placed dock, the iPhone Duo has a vertical sidebar on the right edge of the screen. The phone supports 25W MagSafe wireless fast charging, as well as wired charging. Apple says that the Duo’s battery will deliver up to 24 hours of regular use, or up to 31 hours of video playback.

There are two cameras on the back of the iPhone Duo, both of these have 48 megapixel sensors. The device is eSIM-only. Apple’s foldable has an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance. Oddly, it does not support Apple Pencil yet, but the company says it will be available later this year.

The iPhone Duo price starts at $1,999 for the 256GB model. Pre-orders for the iPhone Duo start on October 16th, and the device will be available on October 23rd.

Apple announces iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max

Ternus also unveiled the iPhone 18 series during the September 9th launch event. However, only the Pro and Pro Max versions of the devices were announced. The basic iPhone 18 model was not revealed, rumors suggest that Apple could launch the iPhone 18E and a new iPhone Air in Spring 2027.

Like the Duo, the iPhone 18 Pro series are also powered by the A20 Pro chipset, and run on iOS 27. The spotlight of the event was on Apple Intelligence and Siri AI. Both models have an aluminum unibody design with Ceramic Shield on the front and back panels.

The iPhone 18 Pro has a 6.3-inch display while the Pro Max sports a 6.9-inch screen. They both have a Dynamic Island, support Always-On display, ProMotion technology up to 120Hz. Apple has equipped the iPhone Pro series with 48MP Fusion cameras, and an 18MP Center Stage camera for selfies. The battery on the iPhone 18 Pro can deliver up to 23 hours of regular use, or up to 34 hours of video playback, while the 18 Pro Max can deliver up to 29 hours of regular use, or up to 43 hours of video playback,

Apple has priced the iPhone 18 Pro starting at $1,199 for the 256GB model, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max price starts at $1,299. The devices are up for pre-order starting today, and will be available in stores from September 18th.

Normally, when Apple launches a new iPhone series, it announces a price drop for previous gen models. However, this time it was quite the opposite. In a first of its kind move, Apple announced a $100 price increase across older iPhone models. This is due to the ongoing memory and chip shortages.

Ubisoft games on Steam will soon not require the Ubisoft Connect launcher

One of the many things that PC gamers don’t like is dealing with multiple game launchers. Notable examples of this problem are the EA App and the Ubisoft Connect launchers. When you buy an EA or Ubisoft game on Steam, you’ll need to install the corresponding launcher to download the game on your computer, and use it to play the title. They also have their own cloud saves and achievement systems. The good news is, Ubisoft wants to fix the problem. Soon, players on Steam will be able to play Ubisoft games without the Ubisoft Connect launcher.

The company has launched a new tool for steam called Ubisoft Connect Services. It has been introduced in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, and lets players download and play the game directly on Steam, i.e. without installing the Ubisoft Connect launcher. In addition to this, the tool also retains previously exclusive features such as cross-progression, cross-play, player safety, challenges and rewards. The France-based company has confirmed that it plans to roll out the new tool to more of its games on Steam.

Google launches the Gemini app for Windows

Google has released the Gemini desktop app for Windows. The app is similar to the Mac version that was launched in April this year. It is designed to allow users to quickly access Gemini AI, without opening the browser. Gemini for Windows is supported on Windows 10 and 11.

The Gemini app can be opened with the keyboard shortcut, Alt + Space. Fun fact, this happens to be the same key combination that is used for accessing Microsoft Copilot.

Users can input their queries in the app, just like they would interact with the chatbot in a browser. The left sidebar houses your chats, while the Library contains documents and media that were created by the AI. Gemini is capable of assisting users with tasks, image generation via Nano Banana, video generation with Omni. Some of these features require an AI subscription, as do access to premium models.

ChatGPT Images 2.5 released, comes with a new Sketch tool

OpenAI has announced ChatGPT Images 2.5, which improves the image generation capabilities of the AI. It also brings a new tool called Sketch, that allows users to draw directly in ChatGPT, and use it as a reference for the image thayt you want it to create. To access the feature, type @Sketch in a chat. ChatGPT will display a canvas for you to draw in. The image editor lets you tweak the picture by commenting directly on images.

Images 2.5 is available to all ChatGPT, ChatGPT Work, and Codex users on desktop, mobile, and web.