Kerry Wan/ZDNETZDNET’s key takeaways
- Apple took the existing foldable form factor and owned it.
- The Duo improves on the most important areas, namely minimizing the crease and durability.
- However, some questions remain about its camera.
I haven’t gone hands-on with the iPhone Duo yet, but I’ve used every foldable launched in the U.S. (and many abroad) for the past four years. So far, everything I’ve heard about Duo delights me. Apple’s strategy remained the same: it doesn’t try to be first, it waits for technology to develop, then “Apples it up” and makes it better. With foldables, it took an established product and showed what it should have been all along.
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I’ve been using the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 — a spiritual predecessor to this phone — since it launched in July, and have found it very hard to put down. The short king is a great size with a great layout, and it seems like Apple mirrored that experience while adding its own touches.
There is a lot to like about Apple’s presentation. The iPhone Duo looks really impressive, and it’s been done in a very smart way. Here’s how Apple made the Duo its own.
1. The price is right
The Duo is getting a lot of attention for its $1,999 starting price, but it’s absolutely in line with the industry. Think there’s an “Apple tax?” Maybe, when you compare the iPhone Duo to the Galaxy Fold 8, an argument could be made. But the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra costs even more than the iPhone Duo. So Apple got this part right.
It would have been easy for the predictions of $2,500 or even $3,000 starting costs to have been true. But $1,999 is right in the wheelhouse of most other foldables on the market.
2. Durability matters
I went into this a lot when I talked about the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, but a full IP68 water and dust rating is absolutely critical in today’s foldables, and Apple nailed it. That being said, this is a first-generation product, so it remains to be seen how durable this phone will be long-term. But the fact that you can take it to a beach is a great thing, and I’m happy Apple adopted it.
Kerry Wan/ZDNETIt’s also worth mentioning that this will likely ensure follow-up devices from Motorola and Samsung will move up to that standard as well. It will fall short of the absolute insanity that is the Honor Magic V6 and its IP68 and IP69 resistance, but IP68 was a crucial component to this phone.
3. The crease is gone (sort of)
If you had asked me over the last five years when Apple was going to come out with a foldable, my answer was always the same — when they get rid of the crease. Aesthetically, this was something Apple simply could not stomach. So, this year, when the Oppo Find N6 and later the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 came out with basically no crease, Apple knew it was time to go to work.
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By all reports, the crease is impressively hard to see. Make no mistake, it’s there and visible at certain angles, but that’s physics. Apple also did the smart thing by adding a nano-texture to the screen that helps hide the crease and give the screen a matte finish, both of which are lovely. The crease isn’t gone, per se, but it’s diminished to the point of irrelevance, and good riddance.
4. The user experience
Apple didn’t just stop at the hardware — it modified its software to take advantage of the wider screen, as well. First of all, it was smart to give the phone the same aspect ratio when closed and open, easing the burden on developers. But Apple also built in some smart features like moving UI elements to the right side of the phone. This both gives more room for vertical content — which is at a premium on a short phone of course, but it also makes those elements easier to reach.
Kerry Wan/ZDNETI have to wonder how those UI elements will handle palm rejection. I’m a bigger guy and I have some extra hand meat by my thumb that I could easily see accidentally nudging a button when reaching for someone else. Hands-on time will be necessary to determine that, of course. But overall, I dig the new design, and the fact that Apple did this for its entire ecosystem.
5. That transition though!
Finally, there’s the pièce de résistance — the transition from the phone opening to closing and vice versa. Put simply, it’s absolutely stunning. Again, I have to reiterate that I’ve only seen videos captured of demos, but it is impressive. Basically when you’re closing the phone, the outside screen morphs into a piece of glass closing over the right half of the screen that simulates a clear glass panel.
Is the transition more than just a party trick? I have to say it is. It’s an overall quality of life improvement over every other foldable phone on the market and it is just beautiful. I cannot wait to get my hands on this phone so I can see it in person.
6. Still, there are drawbacks
There are two design elements that I’m a little suspicious of. First of all, the asymmetric design of the cover screen isn’t necessarily my favorite. I think it will make the phone more comfortable to hold than the Galaxy Z Fold 8, but it will certainly take some getting used to. What I like about the design is that Apple doesn’t try to hide it like the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold with a radius that’s just filled in with metal. Apple embraces the design it’s better for it.
Kerry Wan/ZDNETThe other element I’m not sold on is the under screen camera on the inside. Samsung tried it in the Galaxy Z Fold for a few generations, and abandoned it because it honestly never looked very good. It has been two years since it last appeared on a foldable, so it’s possible — even likely — that improvements have been made, so time will tell on that one. Some demos made it seem invisible while others made it pretty obvious it’s there.
Also: Apple confirms price increases are coming – how much will it cost you?
Still, these drawbacks are not enough to discount the positive aspects of the phone. Overall, it looks like Apple knocked it out of the park with the Duo. It’s everything I would have expected the company to put into its first foldable, and it even added a few delightful surprises to the mix. I’m in love with the idea of this phone and I can’t wait to pre-order it in October.
