First Reviews of the iPhone Duo Show Impressive Hardware With Real Practical Limits

First reviews of Apple’s iPhone Duo make one thing clear right away. This is a first-generation device still working through its early stages. Reviewers consistently praise the physical design and hinge quality while pointing out software gaps and everyday compromises that keep the experience from feeling fully settled.

One tester stated that the hinge has the smoothest action and the best tactility of any folding phone so far, and that was only after the phone had opened all the way flat. Other features include a satisfying click that sounds far more appealing than it is, and a variable resistance system that holds the device in place at all the right angles whether you want to prop it up like a tent or go laptop style.

The matte nano-texture finish on the 7.6-inch inner screen reduces glare and hides the crease so well during normal use that most people stop noticing it, though the line can still appear under bright light on dark content or at extreme angles. Closed, the Duo is 11.3 mil thick and weighs 254 grams, which is slightly more substantial than the competition, but a few testers found that the shorter, wider shape felt more natural in the hand than a standard large iPhone, even if it only takes a short time before you start to feel strain in your wrist.


Quick tasks on the 5.4-inch outer display are ideal for catching a quick message or checking your email, and many users found the experience so natural that they assumed they were pulling out a little notebook from their pocket. A few others said that the screen began to feel claustrophobic once the keyboard took up nearly half of the screen or when the buttons on the right side began to reduce the useable area, and a few left-handed testers experienced serious difficulty with button positioning.


When you unfold the Duo, it unlocks side-by-side app views, but the limitation is that you can only have two fixed panels on display in landscape mode, despite one tester telling us they were able to write an entire video script on the larger screen without even needing a laptop. Multitasking does feel intentional in the apps that have been optimized for it, but it still feels a little unflexible in comparison to some of the other foldables out there. However, the animation that switches content across screens is nicely polished.


App support is the one clear indication that the Duo is still a work in progress. The titles that have been updated to account for the form factor, such as Mail, which has a sleek two-pane inbox layout, or certain editing tools, feel natural and intuitive, and one reviewer even noticed that they began to think of reasons to open the device while performing their daily tasks.


On the other hand, many other titles still appear to have been stuck with a black bar across the top or letters cut off at the sides, indicating that developers will need some more time to make the extra space operate properly. Touch ID on the side button is a fair replacement for Face ID, but some individuals found it difficult to adjust to, while others said that it was slower, clumsier, and more prone to misreads, particularly if they had to change grips or were left handed. The Action Button has vanished, but the Camera Control is still there.


Cameras produce sharp everyday photos from the dual 48-megapixel wide and ultrawide sensors, with features like Smart Take for group shots and Duo Preview helping frame images, yet the lack of a dedicated telephoto lens, variable aperture, and advanced formats leaves them short of the top iPhone models. Battery life generally gets you through the day, with one fairly demanding streaming test lasting over 18 hours on the inner screen and another still having nearly 30% battery left after a long day of use, though it should be noted that direct comparisons to a Pro Max vary greatly depending on how you use the thing. People are raving about the speakers, which are extremely clear and balanced on both sides of the gadget.


At a starting price of $1,999 the Duo aligns with other high-end foldables, and verdicts split between those awarding it top marks as the best designed folding phone available and those labeling it an early-adopter device whose software still needs time to catch up.