Apple iPhone Duo Review: Five Days With Apple's First Foldable at Rs 2,99,900

Five days into using Apple's first foldable as his main phone, the reviewer at The Economic Times was still finding small things to adjust to: where the volume buttons land when the iPhone Duo is unfolded, and how much slower a fingerprint feels than a glance. The verdict that emerges from the review is a favourable one, with conditions attached to a price of Rs 2,99,900.

The pricing in India runs upward from there. The 256GB model costs Rs 2,99,900, the 512GB version Rs 3,24,900, the 1TB Rs 3,74,900 and the 2TB Rs 4,49,900. Pre-orders opened on October 16, with sales starting October 23. The initial allocation reportedly sold out in roughly an hour, and delivery estimates for later orders stretch into January 2027. Apple introduced the phone on September 9, and the publication was at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino for a first hands-on.

On build, the Duo reads as sturdy. It has a Grade 5 titanium frame, Ceramic Shield 2 over the outer display, Ceramic Shield on the back and an IP68 rating. The reviewer never felt the need to be delicate, and the hinge inspired confidence. Even so, the price breeds caution, and repair costs are described as very high, so AppleCare is recommended, especially for careless owners. A case is advised too. The Apple Folio with Kickstand the reviewer used costs about Rs 14,000, and the review expects cheaper third-party options to appear. The review unit was the dark blue Night Sky finish.

The passport-style body is wider than a conventional phone when folded, and at 254 grams it took some getting used to. Two design choices needed more adjustment. The volume buttons sit along the top edge when folded but shift to the side when unfolded, depending on grip. And in place of Face ID, Apple put a fingerprint sensor in the side button. It works well but initially feels slower, which matters to anyone coming from an iPhone Pro.

The Duo has a 5.4-inch cover display and a 7.6-inch inner display, both Super Retina XDR OLED with ProMotion up to 120Hz. The inner screen has a nano-texture finish to cut reflections. Quality is excellent on both. The reviewer mostly used the cover screen, having previously spent time with Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold8, which has a similar book-style design. The weakness is software. YouTube shows a black bar down the side on the cover display, and Instagram has a similar issue; the reviewer ended up unfolding the phone more often to watch content. On the larger screen, Instagram benefits from Meta's iPad app, and Gmail does well on its existing iPad app. The stereo speakers are notably loud. Multitasking is limited to two apps in Split View, and not every app handles it well. The reviewer paired Notes and Photos while drafting articles, and judged the feature useful but behind rival foldables. The review expects the app gaps to be fixed, as similar ones have been historically.

Inside is Apple's 2nm A20 Pro chip with 12GB of RAM, running iOS 27. There was no lag or stutter in five days, and Call of Duty: Mobile ran smoothly without noticeable heating, though the black bars appeared there too. Learning the two-screen setup took about half an hour. The reviewer also liked StandBy mode, which turns the propped-up phone into a desk display for time, calendar and notifications. One practical warning: the Duo is eSIM-only worldwide, so buyers must confirm their operator supports it.

Battery life is called one of its biggest strengths. Light use lasted two days, and heavy use with gaming, video, messaging and work stretched to about a day and a half. Apple claims up to 44 hours of video playback on the outer display and 31 hours on the inner one.

The cameras are a 48MP Fusion Main (f/1.6) and a 48MP Ultra Wide (f/2.2), plus a 12MP Center Stage camera on the cover and an under-display FaceTime camera inside. Everyday photos matched what the reviewer expects from an iPhone Pro, with solid low-light results and impressive video. But there is no dedicated telephoto lens, and zoom is limited to 2x optical-quality. The review's conclusion is that the Duo suits buyers who can comfortably afford it and truly need a bigger display; the publication's own text breaks off while describing how the folding body can be propped on a surface for shooting.