iPhone Duo Reviews Are In: What Critics Agree On

Quick summary: The first iPhone Duo reviews are out. The consensus is that it’s the best-built foldable yet, but most people shouldn’t buy it. Here’s what reviewers praised, what they criticized, and why I’m still excited.

Key takeaways

• Review scores are mostly around 80% and above, which is strong for a first-gen product.
• Praise: the crease is nearly invisible, A20 Pro performance, battery life, multitasking and Apple Pencil support.
• Criticism: price, weight and thickness, unoptimized apps, Touch ID instead of Face ID, and the cameras.
• Most of the software issues can be fixed with updates.

The overall verdict

Build quality is called outstanding. The Wall Street Journal said “too much iPhone, too little iPad.” The Verge called it one of Apple’s messiest first-gen products in a long time, and MKBHD said most people shouldn’t buy Apple’s $2,000 foldable.

The five biggest positives

1. The crease is basically gone. The nano-texture matte coating on the 7.6-inch display hides it head-on. You can feel it and catch it at angles.
2. A20 Pro performance. Nobody had a bad word about the chip for gaming or multitasking.
3. Battery life beat expectations. Tom’s Guide got 13 hours 20 minutes in its web test, which is better than the Galaxy Z Fold 8. The Verge said it runs hot under heavy use.
4. Multitasking done right. iPad-style Split View, app pairs that reopen together, and dual-pane first-party apps. Reviewers called it thoughtful, not a stretched-out iPhone UI.
5. Apple Pencil support is a nice bonus.

The biggest negatives

• Price. I don’t think it’s a big issue. It’s competitive, and nobody else sells a 2TB foldable.
• Weight and thickness. It’s 254 grams, about 25% heavier than the Fold 8 at 201 grams. Gizmodo joked it made their pants sag.
• Apps aren’t ready. Telegram, banking apps, TikTok and others render small with dead space. MKBHD called this the biggest downside. It’s not surprising, since the Fold 8 still has app issues too.
• No Face ID. Touch ID is in the side button, and PetaPixel found it slow and clumsy. Mark Gurman says Face ID won’t return until the Duo 3.
• Camera compromises. There are two rear cameras, with no dedicated telephoto and no ProRes or ProRAW. The 4MP under-display selfie camera was called muddy.

My take

None of these negatives sound terrible to me. Apps can be fixed with updates, and hardware gripes can be fixed in future generations. Coming from Samsung, I’m used to Android forcing unoptimized apps to stretch. Apple doesn’t seem to have that yet, but it could arrive in an update. My Best Buy orders look set for Friday, and I’m still excited. What do you think of the reviews?