iPhone Duo Day 5: Am I Falling for It?

Quick summary: After years on Galaxy and Android, I’m using the iPhone Duo full time, and it started rocky. Five days in, it doesn’t feel like an uphill battle anymore. The Apple Watch Ultra, reliable apps and incredible battery life are winning me over. Notifications and the fingerprint sensor are still the two things that really bug me.

Key takeaways

• My Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra still feels like home, but the Duo no longer feels miserable.
• The Apple Watch Ultra is great for notifications and keeps the phone unlocked.
• Apps feel more reliable app to app on iPhone, even when they aren’t optimized for the screen.
• Battery life is insane: 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
• The notification system and slow fingerprint sensor are my two biggest annoyances.

Getting acclimated

It’s been quite a while since I used an iPhone as a full-time phone. Day one was rough. Now, with my Fold 8 Ultra and iPhone Duo side by side, the Fold still feels comfortable and great, but the Duo just doesn’t feel as miserable as it did. I’m getting used to it.

The Apple Watch Ultra changes things

I actually really like the Apple Watch Ultra. Notifications on my wrist are awesome. I lift my wrist and see them without going to my phone. It also keeps the phone unlocked, so I can just swipe up. It’s an expensive feature, and other devices do something similar, but since the Duo’s fingerprint sensor is too slow for me and there’s no Face ID, the watch takes a lot of the unlocking annoyance away.

Apps just feel more reliable

App to app, not screen optimization but actual use, things seem to work a little better on iPhone. My Tapo security app is sometimes hit or miss on Android when loading cameras. On the Duo it’s more reliable. Android developers have thousands of devices to support, and iPhone developers have far fewer, so that makes sense.

Tapo isn’t optimized for the Duo’s inside display yet, but like on Samsung, you can zoom it and it looks good with only slight black bars. I can live with that.

Fun games made for the Duo

I don’t game a ton, but the App Store has a section of apps and games for the Duo. A word game with a relaxing hum almost puts me to sleep. Piano Fold has you match your hands to the beat like you’re playing piano. Greens is a fun golf game, and I’m not even into golf.

What still annoys me

Notifications. I’ve turned off summarization and more, and it’s still infuriating, especially with Do Not Disturb at night. There’s nothing about Apple’s notification system I like better than Samsung’s. I don’t expect Apple to change it for me.

The fingerprint sensor. It’s reliable, but it takes a while.

Smaller gripes: the inside home screen scrolls continuously like a Pixel instead of jumping full pages like Samsung, which makes icons feel messy. And Siri hasn’t impressed me in my limited use.

Battery life is unbeatable

It’s the best battery life I’ve ever had on any phone, by a long shot. I’m going from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m. before I have to charge, even with the rear cameras in use.

Life without the matte screen protector

Taking off the matte protector was really nice. There was a little residue at first, but it came off, the screen isn’t sticky, and vibrancy is way better. And no, removing the screen protector doesn’t void your warranty, at least in my experience. It just mutes the display, reduces reflections and protects against scratches.

Will I switch back?

After five days, I honestly don’t know. Notifications and the fingerprint sensor might be enough to send me back to Samsung, but I’m not dreading the remaining nine days of my 14-day test at all. That shocks me. Comparison videos with the Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra are coming next. My glasses work fine with it too.

What I’m using

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