{"id":950672,"date":"2026-10-29T13:22:17","date_gmt":"2026-10-29T13:22:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/950672\/"},"modified":"2026-10-29T13:22:17","modified_gmt":"2026-10-29T13:22:17","slug":"24-hours-with-the-iphone-duo-here-are-my-5-immediate-takeaways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/950672\/","title":{"rendered":"24 hours with the iPhone Duo \u2014 here are my 5 immediate takeaways"},"content":{"rendered":"

iPhone Duo<\/a> happened several weeks ago at a tightly controlled press event at Apple HQ in London<\/a>. It’s fair to say, I was pretty blown away by it. Now though, I\u2019ve spent a full 24 hours with the device in my possession and I\u2019ve come away with a few more follow-up thoughts.<\/p>\n

I stand by my initial reaction about this being a game-changer for iPhone owners (and the foldable phone market in general) and, despite that high $2,000 entry price, it\u2019s clear Apple\u2019s first foldable is proving a hit with customers.<\/p>\n

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But, like my colleague Mark said in his full review<\/a>, there are some big niggles with this phone that you want to be aware of before parting with your cash. And, in some ways, the delay on fulfilment that\u2019s currently stretching into next year<\/a> may not be such a bad thing after all.<\/p>\n

Latest Videos FromTom’s Guide<\/p>\n

So after spending a day with the iPhone Duo in the real world, here are my takeaways.<\/p>\n

The form factor is a slam dunk<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)<\/p>\n

I\u2019m going to level with you; my favorite iPhone of all time is the iPhone 13 mini<\/a>. For all its battery life faults, I loved the small form factor that meant I could slip it into any pocket and use the device with just one hand.<\/p>\n

You may like<\/p>\n

The iPhone Duo evokes that same sense when folded, and the 5.4-inch outer display is more than capable of doing basic, phone-type stuff on: calling, messaging, checking socials or skimming through pictures. All with one hand. I love it.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t need me to sell the unfolded 7.6-inch nano-texture inner display to you again, but I\u2019m going to nonetheless. I took the Duo to a coffee shop and, when I wanted to spend a bit of time to get started reading a novel, I flipped it open and marveled at the rectangular form factor with the rounded corners.<\/p>\n

Sign up to the Tom’s iGuide weekly newsletter with coverage on everything from product launches to software updates, this is your go-to source for the latest updates on all the best Apple content.<\/p>\n

The 1:4:1 aspect ratio works beautifully for this use case and I much prefer it to the square aspect ratio I\u2019ve experienced on Android foldables.<\/p>\n

Like the iPhone Air, this will help grow eSIM adoption<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)<\/p>\n

The iPhone Duo is my first experience with an eSIM iPhone as in the U.K., unlike the U.S., all regular iPhones apart from last year\u2019s iPhone Air<\/a> still ship with a physical SIM slot.<\/p>\n

According to some data released late last year<\/a>, 40% of my fellow Brits haven\u2019t even heard of eSIM and 41% couldn\u2019t say if their phone supported one or not.<\/p>\n

What to read next<\/p>\n

Just like with the removal of the headphone jack all those years ago, Apple\u2019s determined push into eSIM-only territory will, in my opinion, help increase adoption. I\u2019ve kept a physical SIM all these years because I\u2019ve never needed to move across. The iPhone Duo is going to change that.<\/p>\n

A lot of apps are a total mess and Google needs to hurry up<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve read Mark\u2019s review of the iPhone Duo, you\u2019ll see he marked it down because non-optimized apps look\u2026well, bad. I can certainly attest to this with a number of my go-to apps still displaying the thick black bar on the right hand side. When this happens and you unfold the Duo, it\u2019s like we\u2019re right back in the days of the early iPad and having to simply blow up an app window stuck in iPhone dimensions.<\/p>\n

To be fair to Apple, it\u2019s still very much early days. The company has added a \u201cMade for iPhone Duo\u201d badge to compatible apps \u2014 we\u2019re cataloging our favorites here \u2014 and I expect this to resolve itself over time. I can forgive smaller apps for not yet being optimized but some of the bigger ones, like Wikipedia or literally all of Google\u2019s apps, need to hurry up.<\/p>\n

At the moment, it\u2019s a compromised experience that I wouldn\u2019t expect on a $2,000 product and the silver lining of the delay is that most of this should be fixed by the time the Duo is readily available.<\/p>\n

Finally, while it’s cool to be able to run two apps side-by-side, other Android foldables can manage three. But, y’know, who’s counting?<\/p>\n

Man, I really miss Face ID<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no sugarcoating it; I\u2019ve become used to Face ID and not having it on the Duo is a real bummer. I\u2019ll pause here to say how glad I am the Duo supports MagSafe, but I think a lot of users will resent having to go back to Touch ID. It\u2019s just\u2026slower.<\/p>\n

Apple has implemented a process whereby Touch ID pauses just a beat before it unlocks the phone \u2014 to make sure you really did mean to unlock it. That\u2019s sensible, but just adds to the jarring feeling of not being able to get into your phone instantaneously.<\/p>\n

The way I\u2019ve been getting around it is to swipe up from the lock screen (muscle memory at this point) at the same time as engaging Touch ID. This combination seems to unlock the phone a little bit faster. It\u2019s not an idea solution but I can now do it pretty quickly. If Apple is already drawing up plans for an iPhone Duo 2, I really hope we get a Face ID upgrade.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m treating this thing with kid gloves!<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)<\/p>\n

There\u2019s been\u2026ah, some backlash over screen problems with the iPhone Duo<\/a> and \u2014 so far at least \u2014 I haven\u2019t had any sign of screen cracking, hinge failures, or any kind of dust and water ingress. We, and many other reviewers, have praised Apple for its commitment to durability with the iPhone Duo, but looking after this thing has been front of mind ever since I unboxed it.<\/p>\n

I want a phone that can take the hits and keep on truckin\u2019 and every time I take the iPhone Duo out to use it, I\u2019m acutely aware it\u2019s a $2k piece of technology.<\/p>\n

As a result, I\u2019m treating this thing with kid gloves even though I have full faith in Apple\u2019s durability testing. And just to be sure, I\u2019ve encased it in the standard iPhone Duo MagSafe case to give it a little bit more protection.<\/p>\n

Final thoughts<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)<\/p>\n

If you disregard the hype around a brand-new form-factor device from Apple and look at the Duo critically, there are some definite conclusions on what it is and whether or not you should buy it.<\/p>\n

For starters, this is a gadget that genuinely gets you excited about technology again, and I don\u2019t want to underestimate that. Secondly, with the full force of one of the world\u2019s biggest companies behind it, the software kinks will undoubtedly be ironed out soon, third parties will get on board quickly, and customer service should be able to cope with any complaints from early adopters.<\/p>\n

But then again, this is very much a first-gen product, and I expect the iPhone Duo 2 will be a far, far better buy. There\u2019ll be Face ID for a start<\/a>, but also camera improvements and probably a reduction in weight and thickness.<\/p>\n

If it seems like I’m being harsh with a few of the points above then that’s only because \u2014 at $2K, I place a pretty high bar of expectation against it. And to be clear, there are so so many things that are brilliant about this phone. Did I mention the nano-texture display? But also, you can use this with an Apple Pencil and the A20 Pro chipset is just blisteringly powerful. In fact, consider that takeaway number six: the speed and fluidity of iOS 27 on this phone is a wonder to behold!<\/p>\n

Where do you sit on the iPhone Duo spectrum? Are you all-in? Interested but hesitant? Or is it a stone-cold \u201cno thank you, Sir\u201d? Let me know in the comments below.<\/p>\n

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\"Google\n<\/p>\n

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