The iPhone Duo is finally out. It's a polarizing device, that's for sure. I saw people mocking it on Reddit for being a Nintendo DS, as well as mentioning Duolingo as inspiration for the name.
On the other hand, many people were genuinely impressed by the UI, the under-display camera, and the starting price.
My first thought when I heard the rumor about Apple calling it the iPhone Duo was, "Wait, what about Microsoft and the Surface Duo?" I thought Microsoft owned a trademark on the "Duo" name when it comes to folding electronics.
Apple named the iPhone Duo after a failed experiment from Microsoft
The Microsoft Surface Duo launched back in 2020. | Image by Microsoft
The Microsoft Surface Duo launched on September 10, 2020, almost exactly six years before the iPhone Duo. It was Microsoft's return to the smartphone market, and I thought the device was pretty cool.
The Surface Duo featured a clever 360-degree hinge mechanism that allowed the device to be folded with the screens facing out and used as a more compact phone.
When unfolded, the Surface Duo had an 8.1-inch workspace consisting of two 5.4-inch AMOLED screens placed next to each other.
The similarities don't end with the name. Obviously, the form factor is a bit different. The Surface Duo was taller and wider, but the overall weight and thickness are very similar between these two devices.
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The iPhone Duo weighs 254 grams, while the Surface Duo weighed 250 grams. In terms of thickness, the unfolded iPhone Duo measures just 5.2 mm, but the Surface Duo went even thinner at 4.8 mm.
The idea behind the Surface Duo was to offer dual-screen productivity without the drawbacks of a folding screen. As you might've guessed from the past tense I've been using, the Surface Duo failed miserably in terms of market success and has been discontinued since September 10, 2023.
The iPhone Duo is not a groundbreaking device, but still a good, decently-priced foldable. | Image by Apple
I've always tried to be objective, especially when it comes to Apple. It's easy to sway in one of the two directions and either worship the device or outright hate it.
I'm slightly disappointed by the iPhone Duo, but at the same time, I realize it could be a huge market success and give a big boost to foldables in general.
Nothing in the iPhone Duo presentation made me go "Whoa!", except for the folding-unfolding UI animation (it's pretty cool). The specs are pretty restrained for a $2,000 phone, especially in the camera department.
The matte nano-texture finish on the iPhone Duo is quite nice, but nothing groundbreaking. TCL and Huawei have been using this tech for years on their phones and tablets.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 weighs just 201 grams. | Image by PhoneArena
I thought 254 grams was a bit on the weightier side for such a small device. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is similar in size, albeit with a different aspect ratio, and it weighs only 201 grams.
In a device that you're going to constantly interact with physically, folding and unfolding it, weight plays a huge role.
Now for the good stuff. I think the aspect ratio of the iPhone Duo is its strongest feature. The passport-like 14:10 proportions are genius. They not only feel familiar in the hand but also allow for the impressive UI folding and unfolding animations (check out the video below).
Apple chose that particular aspect ratio because it offers visual continuity and great software scaling. Nothing stretches, wraps, or squishes when you unfold the Duo — the apps just naturally fill the larger canvas.
There are other quality-of-life features baked inside the iPhone Duo. The ability to hold an angle is one that's missing from the Galaxy Z Fold 8, for example. It opens up a whole other area of software options and use-case scenarios.
The Apple Pencil support is great, and the under-display inner camera is also a bonus. But one of the biggest (nice) surprises was the price.
Do you think the iPhone Duo is a good foldable device?
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The iPhone Duo is priced for success
People expected a much more expensive device. | Image by Apple
I'm not sure if the previous leaks and rumors about the iPhone Duo's price were genuine or a planned stunt by Apple. But the fact of the matter is that people expected a $2,500–$3,000 device and were pleasantly surprised by the $1,999 starting price tag.
It's not a cheap phone by any stretch of the imagination, but compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 8, it's in the same ballpark.
The iPhone Duo is actually cheaper than the 2TB versions of both the iPhone 18 Pro and the iPhone 18 Pro Max. I know it's not a fair comparison, but there are people who reach out for these top-shelf storage options. These same people will be much more willing to pay less (or around the same, depending on the storage option) and try out the iPhone Duo.
In the end, Apple has managed to produce a decent foldable at a decent price on the first try. And that's not been easy for many other brands, including Samsung. The first Galaxy Fold cost $1,980 and was plagued by technical and software issues. Granted, Apple had seven years to fire its shot, but still, the iPhone Duo could've flopped in dozens of possible ways.
Do you think the iPhone Duo is a good foldable, priced fairly, even though it doesn't feature anything groundbreaking? Would you buy one?
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Mariyan, a tech enthusiast with a background in Nuclear Physics and Journalism, brings a unique perspective to PhoneArena. His childhood curiosity for gadgets evolved into a professional passion for technology, leading him to the role of Editor-in-Chief at PCWorld Bulgaria before joining PhoneArena. Mariyan's interests range from mainstream Android and iPhone debates to fringe technologies like graphene batteries and nanotechnology. Off-duty, he enjoys playing his electric guitar, practicing Japanese, and revisiting his love for video games and Haruki Murakami's works.
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