A fingerprint sensor that tests your patience
The biggest complaint is the unlock experience. Apple left Face ID out of the Duo and put a Touch ID fingerprint reader in the side button instead. In practice, the sensor has not always responded on the first try.
According to one iPhone Duo review, by PCMag, unlocking the phone sometimes took several attempts. The reviewer also noted that the button’s position on the right edge makes it harder to reach for left-handed people.
Those problems didn’t change his overall view much. He gave the foldable 4.5 stars and wrote that it offers “the best hardware, performance, and battery life of any foldable phone on the market.” For a phone in this price range, however, an unlock method that sometimes needs a second or third try is the kind of everyday irritation buyers will notice.
A telephoto lens and a bigger screen may also come later
Reviewers have also pointed to the lack of a telephoto camera, a feature standard on Apple’s Pro iPhones. According to Gurman, Apple is considering adding one, but has no clear timeline. “That’s on their list. I don’t know when that’s coming, but that’s going to be hard to do,” he said. As with Face ID, the challenge is space: a zoom lens needs depth that a very thin phone has trouble providing.
Future models might also get a larger main display. The current Duo unfolds into a 7.6-inch screen, and Gurman says later models could grow it to between 8.5 and 9 inches. That would move the Duo closer to the size of a small tablet.
The comparison with the iPhone 18 Pro, which launched alongside the Duo, makes these gaps clearer. The Duo has two cameras, a 48MP Fusion main camera and a 48MP Fusion ultra wide, instead of the 18 Pro’s three-camera system. The 18 Pro adds a 48MP telephoto lens with 4x optical zoom, and that lens can crop its sensor to produce 12MP “optical quality” shots at 8x. The Duo tops out at what Apple calls “optical-quality” 2x zoom, taken from the main camera. It also lacks the variable aperture on the 18 Pro’s main camera, one of that phone’s headline features. The 18 Pro also has second-generation sensor-shift stabilization, while the Duo uses the older version, and the Duo’s 12MP front camera is a step down from the 18MP Center Stage camera on the 18 Pro.
Lakshana is an entertainment and lifestyle journalist with over a decade of experience. She covers a wide range of stories—from community and health to mental health and inspiring people features.
A passionate K-pop enthusiast, she also enjoys exploring the cultural impact of music and fandoms through her writing.