The Reviewers Are Crazy; the iPhone Duo Is Fantastic
There I was on iPhone Duo launch day in an unfamiliar place: no new device in hand. Sure, I went to an Apple Store to try it out — which was sort of a wild experience in and of itself, with nearly all the Duo demo units out of battery from so much usage — but thanks to Apple’s inventory (mis)management here, even pre-ordering within seconds of availability wasn’t fast enough to secure one on day one. So I had to wait.
And while I normally don’t read any reviews ahead of forming my own thoughts on new products, with the Duo I was more curious than normal for obvious reasons. Still, I kept things high-level with some quick scans of headlines and key takeaways. And my sense was that reviewers were actually pretty mixed on the device. Some were downright negative. An unholy thought crept into my head: should I cancel my pre-order? Is this just a colossal waste of money?
Well, I didn’t. And I’m glad I didn’t. Because I think those reviewers are crazy.
The iPhone Duo is an incredible device. I ended up getting mine a few days after the launch and I wanted to use it for a week before writing anything just to make sure I wasn't the one who was crazy. I honestly think I've liked using it more each day.
I’m not quite ready to say it’s the best iPhone Apple has ever made, but I’m close. Certainly closer to that than the reviewers seem to be towards putting it on the other end of that spectrum! Three simple things hold me back. First, I don’t like knowing that I don’t have the best possible camera system. Second, it’s heavy and feels fairly bulky when folded. Third, a lot of software, namely third-party software, is still playing catch-up here.
That last point was what many reviewers focused on for obvious reasons. But it’s also a little silly to knock the device for that because not only will this change with time, it’s already changing, fast. Google Maps was updated today, for example. Still no Gmail, but I would imagine that's any day now. Anthropic and OpenAI were ready to roll on day one if you’re into those kinds of things, which I am. Even Meta, the company which famously took 15 years to launch Instagram for iPad, was there from the get-go. Meta!
To the second point, there's no denying the bulk and weight. It's just physics and it's what takes the most getting used to. I actually quite like the feeling in hand when folded — it’s easier to hold in some ways with more depth — but carrying it around, it’s sort of like dropping a brick into your pocket. The most beautiful brick ever. But actually it’s more like half a brick. The older variations of foldables look far more like bricks with their elongated shapes. Yes, this is more akin to a passport. One belonging to the most-traveled person in the world.
The camera system will not change with time – well, at least until a second Duo launches with an upgraded system, of course. But I'm just not sure how much that matters to "regular" iPhone users because the Duo camera system is obviously more than good enough for everyday usage. That said, the camera system may have been a factor in the iPhone Air not being a hit out of the gate, so you can't discount it to zero – especially when you're paying $2,000+ for this device. But to me, it's more about that knowledge in the back of my head rather than any issues with the camera day-to-day.
Form
Let's go back to the form factor. I love it. I love it both folded and unfolded, but I especially love the optionality. I've been using it mainly as you would expect: in terms of sheer number of interactions, most of the time it's folded. But for overall usage in terms of time spent, I imagine unfolded wins. That feels fairly natural. If you're going to do something fast, you do it on the outer screen. If you have some time or a longer task, you'll probably open it up.
What I didn't expect is that I would actually like using the outer screen quite a bit. Yes, there are some mild confinement issues with apps not updated yet – and oddly, Safari, which obviously was updated, but is apparently being fixed to let it spread out more on the wider screen – but after years on iPhone Pro Max models, I had forgotten how much I appreciated smaller screens. Not always and not for everything, of course, but that's why having the larger screen on the inside is key. For many tasks, having a massive display – including those found on the 'Max' iPhone models – is overkill. And I find the smaller screen focusing, in ways.
Sure, I wish the Duo were thinner when folded. But again, I actually quite like holding it, heft and all. And I'm definitely faster at typing on it than I am on a "regular" iPhone. I sort of suspected this would be the case in a move to a more BlackBerry-like aspect ratio, but it's sort of wild just how much faster I am typing on that outer screen. I don't know if it's just the perfect shape for my particular thumbs, but it's hands down one of my favorite surprise upgrades here.
Less great is the aforementioned pocketability. But it's a trade-off: a massive slab for that squat brick. That too will change with time, of course. Eventually we'll clearly have Westworld-style thin, folding devices. For now, this is just an intriguing taste of what's to come.
Function
Unfolded, the iPhone Duo is not as much like the iPad mini as I would have expected going in. The biggest difference right off the bat is obvious, but subtle: most of the time when you start using an iPad mini, you're probably doing so in portrait mode. With the Duo, once unfolded, you're probably using it in landscape mode. From there, counterintuitively, whereas the iPad at first looks sort of like "a big iPhone", the Duo is something different. Thanks to the clever unfolding UI, the device opens up to reveal not only your iPhone homescreen as you were just looking at it, but also your widgets, which are normally a right-swipe away on the left-hand side. This naturally makes those widgets more first-class citizens here. And while you could of course put widgets on your homescreen, on this new left screen, you can only have widgets there. Again, it's a subtle, but key usage difference.
Swiping left gives you a more standard grid of apps, since it showcases your first and second pages of apps. But even that looks different due to the new right-side dock. I'm still getting used to that change, but I think it suits the UI well given the shifting screen dynamic. I wish you could add a fifth – or even sixth? – app to that dock, but maybe that's just the iPadOS and macOS user in me talking. In general, I find the way Apple has shifted the controls to the right to be clever and intuitive.
That said, while I'm right-handed, I tend to use my iPhone with my left hand for whatever reason. This does make reachability an issue for the dock when folded – which Apple is also addressing, and already has a "reachability" fix in beta – but unfolded, you're probably using two hands, or tapping with your index finger, so it's not an issue.
Screening
The inner matte screen is such a brilliant maneuver by Apple. Not only does it help hide the crease (which you can more easily feel than see except at certain angles in certain lighting), it just looks and feels great. I even like that it's different from that outer screen just to give you more variety in terms of how you use the Duo. I've been a full convert to their "nano texture" screens on other Apple devices and I'm happy it's here on this iPhone. It's clearly something that every other foldable manufacturer is about to copy.
Apple Pencil support was just turned on with the latest iOS update and it's certainly a nice to have – in particular on that big, matte screen (though yes, it works on the front screen as well). The Pencil itself feels comically large compared to the Duo, it's almost as if they should have made a 'Pencil mini'...
Back to fingers, the single biggest complaint about the Duo from reviewers may be the lack of Face ID. It's one thing that it's not on the Mac yet – no, not even the so-screen-focused-that-they-put-it-in-the-name new 'MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR' – it's another to take it away from the iPhone. I don't know, maybe I am crazy here, but I honestly don't miss it that much? One of the first things I did upon setting up the Duo was register four fingers (and one side-of-finger, per internet instructions) and... I just haven't had an issue unlocking it fast? Maybe not quite as seamless as Face ID, but that fails for me at times too. I realize this reads a bit like cope, but I honestly just don't think it's that big of a deal. Maybe it's because I'm a die-hard iPad mini user who is used to it?
Far more annoying to me are the volume rockers being at the top of the device. That's just awkward (as it is on the iPad mini too). AirPods volume-swipe FTW. I miss the 'Action' button a bit, but not all that much to be honest. I'm glad the 'Camera' button remains.
The Case
I opted to get the 'Folio' case because I refuse to deal with adhesives (I still sort of can't believe that Apple is okay with this option, but there must have been no other solution, at least for the front screen). I've actually never had a folio-style case for the iPhone and I thought I might dislike having the screen covered, but I actually quite like it. It looks smart, like a small notebook you'd carry around. And the 'TechWoven' material feels good in hand – certainly better than 'FineWoven'! A clever extension mechanism allows it to stay in place when unfolded. And when using it folded, you can place the front cover around the back. Yes, this adds to the bulk, but once you're at this point, why not "own" it? It is, of course, less than ideal when taking pictures, but also just not that big of a deal. And the whole case is extremely easy to take off thanks to magnets rather than adhesive.
Make the Case
I honestly love this device. I strongly suspected I would like it – unlike, say, the HomeView, which I just don't really understand – because I've been using other foldable devices for a few years now and I like those too. And the iPhone Duo is like those, but with Apple polish. Using it alongside the Pixel Fold (I've had a few generations now, most recently last year's 10), the difference in overall quality feels very night and day. I hate to use Apple's own talking points, but one really feels like two phones tacked together versus the Duo which just feels like something new and purpose-built.
Because, of course, it's not just the hardware, it's the tweaks to the software that Apple made to make the experience different in those subtle ways. And it feels like it's perhaps right place/right time for a smaller on-the-go screen to be viable thanks to the plethora of other devices – Apple Watch, AirPods, soon perhaps smart glasses, etc – that we increasingly are also wearing and using. As crazy as it sounds right now, in a few years, it might seem weird to see giant slabs of glass sitting in front of everyone on tabletops. I'm not saying there won't be smartphones – there will be – I'm just saying they may start to look different. Perhaps foldable. Maybe smaller. Maybe even like that device in Her! And while the Duo may not be the first step along the way, it's the first one that's likely to push the industry in that direction in a massive way.
The Masses
All of that points to the future. But what about the present? Are the reviewers largely right that the iPhone Duo isn't ready for most people right now? Perhaps simply because of the price – though Apple took preemptive steps to try to mitigate such concerns, clearly. But from a sheer product perspective, this is an excellent device, right now. It's certainly better than a lot of Apple's other first attempts at new product categories.
In a way, it is like an 'iPhone Ultra' – one of the long-rumored potential names – perhaps all-but in camera. And it has the price to match that distinction. Will that change with time too? We'll see (don't hold your breath).
For now, it's just a great device at a high price. The Apple Way.
One more thing: I won't lie and say that I don't have any anxiety about folding and unfolding the Duo. Even a week into doing it constantly, I live in persistent fear that "Crackgate" will strike. This is hopefully unfounded, but we just don't know the scope and scale of the issues yet other than Apple acknowledging some "small number" of problems. (And no, I'm not using it in the 'tent' or any other bent position yet.)
