iPhone Duo First Impressions

I’ve had an iPhone Duo for a couple of days now and have been enjoying getting it set up and learning more about how everything works.

While I ultimately opted not to pre-order the phone, I was lucky enough to get one this past Saturday - the day after launch day. It was a bit of a process, though, as I tried visiting a couple of Apple Stores in the morning, though to no avail.

So, after leaving the second Apple Store I stopped into, I figured I’d call a nearby T-Mobile store to see if they had any iPhone Duos in stock, which they actually did. Given that the T-Mobile store was only a few minutes from the last Apple Store I tried, I headed over and was able to get an iPhone Duo that day (and, from my understanding, it was one of only two iPhone Duos they had remaining in stock).

With that said, below are some of my first impressions as someone who has had the iPhone Duo for a couple of days now:

The Good:

  • The external screen, while shorter than that of past iPhones, is a decent size - not too big and not too small. I haven’t really had any issues using it for everyday tasks and, in fact, it can be kind of surprising how tall the iPhone 18 Pro Max is when switching back to it after using the iPhone Duo for a bit.

  • The internal screen is nice and I generally don’t notice the crease. While I can feel it from time-to-time while using the device unfolded, it isn’t really noticeable visually. Related, the matte finish on the screen does not detract from the quality of the image, at least to the extent that I’m concerned about.

    I know others have compared the image on the inner screen of the iPhone Duo to the vivid image of the Samsung Galaxy Fold 8 but, again, I think everything looks pretty good when viewed on the internal screen.

    And having that extra screen real-estate while using the internal screen is definitely nice to have. It’s like having a somewhat smaller iPad Mini that you can easily take with you wherever you go.

  • The under-screen front-facing camera that is accessible when the phone is unfolded is generally not visible, though I do notice if more often than the crease - at least at this point. Despite this, I don’t think the camera gets in the way even if you do happen to notice it.

  • Setting up the iPhone Duo was similar to setting up any other iOS / iPadOS device, with the process going pretty smoothly. That said, there was one iCloud syncing issue with the native “Reminders” app syncing my reminders that took some time to resolve. (I had to disable and re-enable Reminders in iCloud a couple of times to get it to eventually sync over the reminders I had saved. I haven’t seen this issue before with my other iOS / iPadOS devices.)

  • The ability to multitask is something that can prove quite useful, especially when it comes to productivity. That said, users are only able to have two apps open at one time.

  • Tabletop Mode and Tent/Standby Mode are pretty neat ways of displaying things when the iPhone Duo is sitting on a table and not in use. While Standby Mode has been available for the standard iPhones for a while, it requires that they be charging and propped up on a stand or MagSafe charger to work.

  • Audio sounds pretty good. I’ve not had any issues with the way videos or phone calls sound while using the device.

  • The new camera features that are unique to the iPhone Duo (the ability to take selfies using the main cameras with the front screen as the viewfinder, Kid Cue, and Duo Preview) are all pretty neat and take advantage of the front and rear screens of the device.

Room for Improvement:

  • Button placement can take a little while to get used to, particularly with the “Sleep/Wake” button (which also functions as the Touch ID sensor). This is especially true when using the iPhone Duo, unfolded, in portrait mode, as the “Sleep/Wake” button is located at the top of the device, toward the left.

    This could just be due to the fact that I’ve been using a iPhone Pro Max, coupled with an iPad Mini, for a number of years and am just used to the button placement on those devices.

    Related, I’ve found that I sometimes inadvertently press either the “Sleep/Wake” button or the Camera Control button when trying to open the phone. Perhaps this will stop happening the more I use the phone and get used to where to grab it to open and close it.

  • Unlike the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, the iPhone Duo only has two cameras. While they are likely to be adequate for most scenarios, some may prefer the additional camera that is found on the Pro models.

    The iPhone Duo also lacks some of the camera features that are found on the Pro models, including the ability to shoot photos in ProRAW or to make use of the Apple Reference Image feature or, on the video front, the options to record in ProRes or to make use of Apple Log.

  • The iPhone Duo does not sit flat on a table due to the camera bump being positioned on the top left of the device. This is more noticeable while the device is unfolded. However, this is easily resolved by putting a case on the device.

  • There is no Face ID sensor, which may be an annoyance or even a deal-breaker for some. For the most part, I haven’t found it to be too troublesome, but it’s worth noting as using Touch ID can sometimes trip you up due to the button placement.

  • There is no way to split the keyboard when using the phone, unfolded, in portrait mode. While this is also not a huge inconvenience, those with smaller hands might prefer having the option (which IS available when the device is in landscape orientation).

  • There is no option to use two apps while multitasking when the phone is unfolded, in portrait mode. If you do happen to have two apps open in landscape and rotate the phone to portrait, only one of the apps will stay on the screen (though it will enlarge to fill the available screen real-estate). This is something that I’ve seen offered on Android phones and is definitely a feature I’d love to see on the iPhone Duo in the future (perhaps in a future iOS update).

    That said, if you are using the device in portrait orientation and have a video playing in picture-in-picture mode, you can tap on it and select the option to have it fill the top half of the screen while the app you were using remains on the bottom half.

  • There are still a bunch of apps that have not been updated / optimized for the iPhone Duo. This isn’t too much of an issue, as the apps will still work, but they might not look the best or may have the option to be enlarged like with iOS apps that were installed on iPads back in the day. I’m sure this will become less of an issue over time, as developers work to update their apps so that they’re optimized for the iPhone Duo.

  • Repair costs can be very high, especially when it comes to any repairs for the inner-display. As a result, I would strongly recommend purchasing AppleCare+ (or AppleCare One if you have multiple Apple devices) so that, in the event something happens to the device, the associated repair fee is significantly less than it would be without AppleCare.

    On a related note, there have been multiple reports of iPhone Duos that have had issues where the hinge appears to break the internal screen. I find it likely that an issue like this may end up being covered under the Apple’s warranty, but it does make me think about the possibility of it happening to my device, as well. And given the nature of the durability of foldable devices in general, I do worry what might happen if I were to drop the iPhone Duo, especially if it wasn’t in a case (though, that goes back to my point about AppleCare+ being a good idea for such an expensive device).

I’ve been enjoying getting to use and learn more about the iPhone Duo over the past couple of days and look forward to seeing more apps being updated to take advantage of the iPhone Duo’s large inner-screen.

As someone who has been using a standard iPhone Pro Max in combination with the iPad Mini for a number of years now, I like the ability to turn a smaller phone into a small tablet-sized device. While not quite the size of the iPad Mini, the iPhone Duo gets pretty close and can definitely hold its own when it comes to consuming content and what not.

All that being said, I do wonder if I’ll end up keeping the iPhone Duo - and for a few reasons. One reason is that I take a lot of photos with my iPhone and would prefer to have the higher-end camera system that is found on the iPhone 18 Pro Max.

The second reason is that I worry about the durability of the iPhone Duo. I’m sure it can handle day-to-day use just fine, but what would happen if I were to drop it or if something were to happen with the hinge? I know that the device has been thoroughly tested by Apple and reviewers, but it is something that I know I’d think about, at least from time-to-time, when using the device.

Cost is another factor that comes to mind, as the iPhone Duo starts at $1,999. For that price, one could purchase a regular iPhone and an iPad Mini and still have some money left over. And there are times that I like to use the devices independently, such as when flying or simply just when charging one while using the other.

In any case, whether I return the iPhone Duo or not remains to be seen. However, I have really enjoyed these first few days using the phone, am hoping to see more apps get updated to take advantage of the new hardware and software features, and am interested in seeing what others have to say about the device as time goes on!

Thanks for taking the time to read this post! I have been reading and watching others' reviews and takes on the iPhone Duo so I figured I’d add my voice to the conversation and write up a post containing my initial thoughts on the device.