Craig Federighi addresses iPhone Duo and iPad overlap

Chance Miller | Sep 13 2026 - 5:47 am PT

Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering, sat down with MKBHD this week to talk about the new iPhone Duo. In the interview, Federighi talked about the potential overlap between the iPhone Duo and an iPad.

Craig Federighi: iPad vs iPhone Duo

Federighi likened the situation to the iPad and Mac, where people ultimately fell into “very natural patterns” deciding between when to use their iPad and when to use their Mac. Federighi believes the same pattern will play out between the iPad and iPhone Duo,

He did, however, particularly call out the iPad mini as a potential overlap with the iPhone Duo:

“I find in my usage over the last few months, if I am starting on the iPhone, I happen to sit down, and I actually just want to go deeper into a piece of content, I want to read something, this device is extraordinary to open up, often in portrait actually, and page through some content. It’s fantastic. I think people are going to find their way.

But I agree, for someone who maybe had an iPad mini or something, this device can often fill that space for them.”

As you might expect from a software engineering executive, Federighi also called out the lengths Apple went to adapt the iOS experience to the iPhone Duo—especially compared with the competition.

“I think on a lot of other devices, it’s been, ‘We’re just going to stretch out or cram some other experience into whatever the new form factor is.’ For us, this was like, ‘This whole thing, we’re going to design it right from the start,’” Federighi explained.

You can watch the full MKBHD video below. What do you think of Federighi’s explanation of iPhone Duo? Are you planning to pre-order one next month? Let us know down in the comments.