Apple has stepped into foldable territory with the iPhone Duo, a passport-style device that opens into a generous 7.6-inch screen. Its hardware and software suggest a thoughtful new direction, yet the wider app ecosystem has not caught up, leaving a gap that many of the world's would-be early adopters must currently live with. Like every new platform before it, the Duo asks its owners to be patient while the people who build for it find their footing. The reviewer's sense is that its promise is real, though its full shape will only become clear with time.
iPhone Duo Review: Apple's Foldable Shows Promise, but Its App Ecosystem and Compromises Hold It Back
One foot in the future and the other in the past
Mark
Why does the app problem matter so much on a first-generation device?
Mimi
Because the screen is the whole pitch. Unfold it and apps like Discord, Uber and Bluesky sit in a black void. The hardware is there; the software isn't yet.
Mark
The reviewer compares it to the iPhone X. Does that reassure?
Luke
Somewhat. But it's one reviewer's comparison, and he notes that two months after the X launched he still hit broken apps. No timeline is given for the Duo.
Mark
What do people actually gain from the design?
Mimi
Controls on the right where your hand sits, and split-screen that feels more natural than iPad. He reads a book on the small screen walking home, then moves to the big one on the couch.
Mark
And what do you give up?
Mimi
Face ID, for one. He ended up registering four fingers for Touch ID. And the camera uses a smaller sensor, so low light suffers.
Luke
Worth noting the battery figures, six to eight hours of screen time, come from his own testing, not a lab standard. And the review text I have cuts off mid-way through the selfie camera discussion, so I can't say how it ends.
Mark
So is it worth buying?
Mimi
He calls it fun but frustrating, and says he's had to think about an iPhone more than in years.
Luke
He also flags price as a further consideration, but the excerpt doesn't state the Duo's price.
Der Puls
- Most everyday apps, from Uber to Discord, sit as small floating windows surrounded by black emptiness on the unfolded screen.
- A beautiful, nearly invisible crease and a sharp matte display collide with software that has not yet learned to fill the space.
- Developers are being urged to build for the Duo, and a handful, like Netflix and Halide, are already reshaping their apps to suit it.
- Touch ID's return and a weaker camera system leave the device feeling like a step back in places, even as its split-screen tools impress.
- The verdict lands on fun but frustrating, with the outcome hinging on how quickly developers close the gap.
Apple has stepped into foldable territory with the iPhone Duo, a passport-style device that opens into a generous 7.6-inch screen. Its hardware and software suggest a thoughtful new direction, yet the wider app ecosystem has not caught up, leaving a gap that many of the world's would-be early adopters must currently live with. Like every new platform before it, the Duo asks its owners to be patient while the people who build for it find their footing. The reviewer's sense is that its promise is real, though its full shape will only become clear with time.
Open the iPhone Duo and the first thing you notice is what's missing. On many apps the unfolded screen is mostly black, with content floating in the middle like a postcard in an empty room. A meme shared on Discord may fill only part of the display, or swell past the edges when zoomed in. That tension between the hardware's ambition and the software's readiness runs through WhistleOut's review of Apple's first foldable.
The Duo folds like a passport. Closed, it is a short, wide 5.4-inch screen; open, a 7.6-inch display the reviewer compares to an iPad mini. At 254g it is manageable one-handed for most tasks, though a beer in the other hand at a gig made showing a photo awkward. When open, the crease is hard to spot under most light, and the matte display helps hide it. Tent mode wakes StandBy, and laptop mode suits watching a video more than typing.
Some developers have answered Apple's call. Netflix splits video and controls across the two halves, and Halide turns the lower half into a waist-level viewfinder. But the unoptimised apps still outnumber the rest, and even the optimised ones have rough edges, such as a Facebook button lodged under the selfie camera. The reviewer recalls that the iPhone X also launched with plenty of misbehaving apps.
The software is where the Duo shines. Controls sit on the right, where a thumb naturally rests, and split-screen gives each app its own side. Multitasking works only in landscape, and the right-hand layout can feel cramped, but the reviewer hopes Apple brings this approach to iPad.
The compromises come from the camera and security. Apple returned to Touch ID in the side button, and the reviewer missed Face ID more than expected. The 48MP main camera uses a smaller sensor, struggles in low light, has no true zoom, and the selfie options are underwhelming. The verdict is a phone with one foot in the future, and how far it travels depends on developers, with no firm timeline in sight.
Open the iPhone Duo and the first thing you notice is what's missing: on many apps, the screen is mostly black. Unoptimised apps float in the middle of the unfolded display, ringed by empty space. A single meme shared on Discord can fill most of the screen when the app is zoomed in, rather than scaling to fit. That gap between hardware and software is the central tension in WhistleOut's review of Apple's first foldable.
The Duo is built like a passport rather than the tall, narrow devices that unfold into a square. Closed, it has a short, wide 5.4-inch display. Open, it becomes a 7.6-inch screen the reviewer compares to an iPad mini. It weighs 254g, only slightly more than an iPhone 18 Pro Max, but packed into a smaller body. The reviewer could mostly use it one-handed, though two hands felt more natural, since the screen is wider than the Pro Max's. Holding a beer in the other hand at a gig made showing someone a photo awkward.
Unfolded, the device is 5.2mm at its slimmest, with thin bezels and a matte nano-texture display that cuts reflections and helps hide the crease. In testing, the crease showed only when viewed off-axis or under direct light, and dark mode made it slightly more visible than light mode. It can be felt faintly at dead centre. Two partly open positions add to the repertoire: tent mode triggers StandBy, with a clock and calendar, and laptop mode is better for propping up a video than typing on.
Apple wanted developers to build specifically for the Duo, and some have. Netflix puts video on the top half in laptop mode and controls on the bottom. Halide turns the lower half into a waist-level viewfinder. But unoptimised apps currently outnumber optimised ones. The reviewer lists Bluesky, Discord, Qantas, Australia Post, Google Drive, Binge, Uber, Letterbox, MyMacca's, ANZ and AllTrails among them. Even optimised apps have flaws: Facebook's "open in Safari" button gets stuck under the selfie camera when folded, and Messenger sometimes needs a force close so the keyboard stops covering the conversation. The reviewer likens this to the iPhone X, noting that two months after that launch, plenty of apps still misbehaved.
The software is where the Duo shines. In this iOS 27 build, the dock and main controls sit on the right of the screen, where your hand already is when unfolded. In split-screen, each app gets controls on its own side. Swiping up on an open app lets you drag it to one half and choose another from the home screen, an approach the reviewer thinks Apple should bring to iPad next year. Multitasking works only in landscape and only as full or half screen. Quirks remain: controls on the right can make apps feel cramped, and muscle memory keeps sending the reviewer to the wrong dock app instead of Safari or Apple Music.
Performance holds no surprises. The A20 Pro chip is the one in the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, with slightly different thermal management. Battery life ran six to eight hours of screen time, using both displays about equally. MagSafe works, though stands and car mounts do better when folded, and unfolded it only holds portrait orientation, otherwise slowly swivelling.
The compromises are Face ID and the cameras. Apple returned to Touch ID, with a sensor in the side power button. The reviewer was surprised how much Face ID was missed, particularly for passwords and apps like 1Password, and ended up registering four fingers to avoid awkward hand positions when unfolded. An Apple Watch can auto-unlock the phone, but payments and passwords still need the fingerprint.
The 48MP main camera uses a smaller sensor, roughly equal to that of the $1,149 iPhone 17e, and lacks the 18 Pro's variable aperture. Low light is where it suffers: slower shots, less detail. There is no zoom lens, only a 2x crop from the main sensor. The ultra-wide matches the 18 Pro's and handles macro well. There are three ways to take a selfie, including a 12MP main camera and a 4MP under-screen camera the reviewer calls not great.
The verdict is fun but frustrating, a phone with one foot in the future. Whether it becomes more than that depends on how quickly developers catch up, and the review offers no firm timeline.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
The reviewer says the Duo is fun but frustrating and the most he has had to think about an iPhone in a long time.— WhistleOut reviewer
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