iPhone Duo: 10 Reasons It's Amazing

Quick summary: The iPhone Duo is getting a lot of hate and a lot of love, and I’ve dished out some criticism myself. This one is all positive: 10-plus things I really like about Apple’s foldable.

Key takeaways

• It’s beautifully smooth and powerful, with no lag even when rotating or multitasking.
• Battery life is amazing: 14 to 16 hours of use in a day for me.
• The speakers are the best I’ve heard on a foldable.
• The crease is nearly invisible, and the display looks stunning without the matte protector.
• Clever tricks: Dynamic Island, dual preview with Kid Cue, tent-mode clock and fold-to-shoot selfies.

1. It’s so smooth

You can rotate the display, multitask and jump around with no lag at all. My Samsung phones are just as powerful, but they aren’t always this smooth. You have to live with it to feel it. It’s a smooth little beast.

2. Power for anything

Whether it’s gaming or day-to-day stuff, it breezes through everything. I haven’t gamed a ton on it yet, but what I’ve played has been great.

3. Awesome speakers

Great bass and volume. These are probably the best speakers I’ve heard on a foldable.

4. Amazing battery life

On my Samsung foldables I get roughly 7 a.m. to 4 or 5 p.m. On the Duo I can get 14, 15 or 16 hours of use. It’s 9:40 p.m. as I record this, and I’m not worried at all. Your iPhone Pro Max might last longer, but for a foldable, this is unheard of. If I don’t stick with the Duo as my main phone, this is what I’ll miss most.

5. The Dynamic Island

It’s not new, and Samsung has something similar, but tap it and you jump straight into a call, video or music. The little animation at the top tells you what’s going on. It’s very helpful.

6. Apple Watch auto-unlock

I finally got an Apple Watch Ultra and set up unlocking with my watch. If it’s on my wrist, the phone unlocks automatically, so I avoid the fingerprint sensor and passcode. Other phones do this too, but I appreciate it.

7. Rich watch notifications

Notifications on the watch show the full message, even an image from my security camera. It’s responsive and fast.

8. A nearly invisible crease

The crease never bothers me. It’s basically invisible. Apple did a great job.

9. The display without the matte protector

When I took off the matte protector, I got hate and love. But the display is so vibrant with it off, with full dynamic range and nothing muted. Playing a 4K video, it looks incredible. You lose some anti-reflection and get more fingerprints, but you can wipe it down. I’m a lot happier with it off.

10. Intuitive multitasking

Swipe up, push an app to one side and pick another. You can even play two videos at once, like YouTube and TikTok. It’s simple, intuitive and helpful, and it’s never been on an iPhone before.

Bonus: Camera tricks, tent mode and fun games

• Dual preview and Kid Cue: show a preview on the outside screen so you can shoot selfies with the rear cameras, or use Kid Cue to get kids looking at the camera.
• Tent mode: stand it up as a customizable bedside clock.
• Fold-to-shoot: bend it in half to take hands-free photos or video with controls at the bottom.
• Games: a massive display and lots of quirky fold-aware games.

These aren’t all brand-new ideas, but they’re new to the iPhone, and I’m impressed. What are your favorite things about the iPhone Duo?

• dbrand Grip Case and Prism Glass for iPhone Duo (also at Best Buy)
• OhSnap Snapgrip stand