Wow. After Samsung had a seven-year head start on Apple in the foldables market, the company really had to live up to its ethos of waiting until it could do a far better job than everyone else, and boy did it deliver with the iPhone Duo!
It was abundantly clear that Apple had thought through every detail of what a foldable iPhone needed to be, and has taken advantage of every benefit the form factor has to offer …
It starts with the basics. Prior reports talked about Apple waiting until it could make the crease virtually invisible and ensure the hinge design would be robust enough to survive endless cycles of folding and unfolding, and while the latter remains to be seen, we can already see the work that went into that hinge design.
There’s the under-screen front-facing camera that’s visible when you need it and almost invisible when you don’t.
Apple also thought about all of the different ways in which the device could be held or positioned, and how the software could best take advantage of that.
I’m not sure who first said it, but I think it’s absolutely true that great design is something no-one else thought of, yet looks blindingly obvious in hindsight. The OG iPhone was a great example of this. Other smartphones had physical keyboards and required* a stylus to use them, while the iPhone is used with your finger and a keyboard only appears when it’s required. It was obvious afterwards that of course smartphones should work this way.
*Yes, the Duo supports the Apple Pencil, but it doesn’t require one.
For me, there were plenty of examples of this in the Duo presentation. Why should we need to first isolate a subject in a photo and then copy it into another app when we could simply drag it there directly from the original photo? That’s completely obvious after the fact.
Replacing a camera self-timer with the device simply waiting until everyone stops moving and then taking the photo automatically. Obvious!
Top comment by Jordan
I think, as always, Apple marketing and imagery is excellent. My immediate reaction is usually that it is super sleek, I want one, but then reality sets in, and especially for this device, that 2k price tag makes the decision easy, along with the supply issues, which I expect will cause back orders into early 2027… the price increases across the board, even on the refurb models, while the norm nowadays, really sours the whole thing imo… I used to say people should treat phone upgrades like cars, and invest in one and commit to it for several years, and now that seems to apply more than ever since they will soon cost the same!
Then there were the UI features that have no reason to exist but simply look beautiful, like that blurring effect as you fold the phone.
I could go on at some length, but the bottom line is that I had extremely high expectations for this device yet was still blown away by just how good it appears to be. I’m British; the only time we ever use the word “wow” is sarcastically – but I still had to open this piece with it, without a trace of sarcasm.
This device isn’t the best match for me. To me, an iPhone is about 50% ultra-slim camera, 49% pocket computer, and 1% phone. The iPhone 18 Pro Max is a better device for my needs. However, I was experiencing extreme levels of technolust for the iPhone Duo.
And that brings me to that “little bit the worst of Apple” remark in the headline. The company has the ability to create product videos that make us feel we can reach out through the screen and touch the device. Apple can create strong desire for a product we have absolutely no business buying. I’m not the target market for the iPhone Duo, but I do, absolutely, unquestionably want one. How about you?
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