I bought the iPhone Duo on launch day, October 23, with my own money, coming from an iPhone 16 Pro Max. This page is the running log, one entry a day, newest first, until the full two week verdict on November 10.
The question I’m asking: does it save my time or steal it? Setup, daily life, staying power. Then a Dad Verdict, keep it or skip it.
Day 7: Would I buy it again?
October 30. Week one check. Would I buy it again today at the price I paid? Absolutely. Two things I’m still working on. Split keyboard mode only shows predictive text on half the keyboard. I get that it’s for reachability, but it feels cramped. And I still don’t trust the Duo near my 6 month son lol. He’s pretty strong, and I’m not ready to let him near it. On the plus side, the message you get when adding photos on the inside display doesn’t block your texts, which is a nice touch. Here’s the hinge, sound only.
Day 6: Size, and the slab I don’t miss
October 29. I stacked the Duo with an iPad mini and my 16 Pro Max. Do I miss the big single slab of the Pro Max? Absolutely not. After even an hour with the Duo, holding the Pro Max felt comical and unbalanced. I like the slightly wider screen, and I don’t miss the extra height. Content on movies is meant for scrolling anyway. What I do miss is the telephoto, but I have a Canon R5 and an R50V for when I need reach.
Day 5: Apps, and the animation that sometimes skips
October 28. I think the app issue got blown way out of proportion. That said, GarageBand is broken, and Apple not having its own apps optimized is not acceptable. The other thing I can’t figure out is the open and close animation. It doesn’t always work, and I can’t pin down when. Sometimes the inside screen fades in from black.
Day 4: When the inner screen clicked
October 27. I use the inner screen when it’s not a quick task, so when I know I’ll have a few minutes to sit down, even if it’s just doom scrolling. Multitasking clicked for me while I was in Safari finding Duo apps. I had Safari on the left and the App Store on the right at the same time. I also used it while building the website and making social posts. I’m still using it as a big phone sometimes, so I need to multitask more.
I also had to rearrange my dock. I didn’t like it at first, but moving apps to the top of the dock for the outer screen made sense. When the phone is vertical on the inner screen, the dock sits at the bottom and my apps feel backwards. I’m getting used to it.
Day 3: Holding it and carrying it
October 26. I’m right handed, so I default to my right hand, and it feels very comfy. Held at a way where the sharp edges are in you hand, the corner isn’t fun. I don’t feel the weight, and it’s really well balanced folded and open. The pop socket type grip I have works great, and has a great little kickstand built in. Cases are still an experiment. I usually like thin ones, but the hinge is the hard part and some cases don’t protect it. I’m still not sure how much that matters, or whether it helps keep dust and pocket lint out, or makes it worse.
Day 2: The outer screen
October 25. The outer screen took a couple of days to get used to, but I don’t miss the taller screen for quick actions. Typing on it feels fantastic, and I love the extra room. I made the text smaller so more fits on screen in apps like Messages. Honestly, I think it’s the perfect form factor.
Day 1: Heat and Touch ID
October 24. It ran very hot while it was indexing, and the cameras run hot too. Touch ID is great, and much better than on my iPad mini. I thought I’d hate losing Face ID, but I don’t miss it at all. I’m not sure why, but the Duo just works better and faster. Sometimes too good where it’s accidental. Unlocking with the Apple Watch is nice too.
Day 0: Out of the box
October 23, launch day. It feels and looks amazing, even better in person. Out of the box I couldn’t see the crease at all. After the first fold you start to notice it, but it’s not an issue. The part I didn’t expect is feeling it when your thumb goes over it. It doesn’t happen often, but it feels strange and a little wrong. That’s minor, but it’s the one thing I notice as someone who didn’t daily a folding phone previously.
Still to come
Day 14 verdict on November 6, the full written review on November 10, and a day 30 check in on November 22.