The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday edition that Apple on Wednesday redefined its flagship smart phone with the launch of the Duo, a folding $1,999 (U.S.) iPhone, betting its design and promises of data privacy will let it leap ahead of rivals who have been selling folding phones for years. A Reuters dispatch to The Globe says the Duo could shake up a category long dominated by Samsung and Chinese companies such as Huawei, whose devices have struggled to move beyond a niche audience. Apple's entry could be the catalyst foldables need, helping bring the form factor into the mainstream much as the company did with smart watches and wireless earbuds. The Duo is sized and shaped like a passport, with rounded edges. It opens into a horizontal, 19-centimetre screen that also can be viewed vertically. There is a smaller single screen on the front, when the phone is folded. When open, it is Apple's thinnest phone. However, it is thicker than folding phones offered by Chinese rivals. New chief executive officer John Ternus led the event, the most notable overhaul of Apple's flagship product since the iPhone X in 2017. It will fall to Mr. Ternus to persuade Apple's customers that they need a $2,000 (U.S.) foldable device.