The iPhone Duo arrived on Wednesday, Sept. 9, and it’s Apple’s first foldable phone. Journalists got their hands on it, and early reports say it’s a smooth foldable phone.
Stan, a Senior Editor at Mashable, got a few minutes alone with the device after the company’s grand unveiling. He came away impressed, noting that Apple appears to have nailed the foldable experience on its first attempt. Here’s what he found.
The folding animation
What catches the eye first is how the animation joins one screen to another as you fold or unfold the device. Stan observed that the iPhone Duo appears to have been built from a design that has been refined over many years of making foldable phones. He acknowledged it was still early days, but he found that everything he attempted felt natural and moved along very quickly.
He described the larger display as glorious to look at, and said it immediately makes your old iPhone feel cramped in comparison, especially when you launch something like Photos. The bigger screen also makes browsing through a photo collection much more enjoyable.
Stan described the experience of holding the device vertically while it was unfolded as feeling like a large iPhone. He said he could imagine using it for reading books, magazines, or browsing the web in that orientation. The Netflix app has been adapted for the foldable screen, and he noted that the app handled all three positions — folded, unfolded, or half-folded — without any trouble. Playback kept going smoothly no matter how he turned the phone.
Half-folded states
The iPhone Duo isn’t limited to just two folding positions. Several intermediate states exist between fully open and fully closed, and Apple has made use of them. Set it down on a desk with the display folded at about half way, and the device turns into a costly digital clock and calendar.
The apps can be arranged side by side, or stacked one above the other, based on how you want them positioned. Stan noted that the phone never seemed to struggle with multiple apps at once — nothing moved slowly, acted strange, or felt unstable.
He’ll need more time to see how other apps, especially third-party ones, behave on the iPhone Duo. But he’s pretty certain already that Apple has done a great job adapting iOS to work with a foldable display.
The design and the crease
The crease didn’t bother Stan. It exists, he said, but he could barely see it. For practical purposes, he didn’t notice it, and the display looks gorgeous from all angles.
The display is built with several layers to hold up against folding and unfolding over time. Its matte surface appeals to Stan more than the glossy finish found on a standard iPhone’s screen.
As for the design and its somewhat unusual form factor, Stan thinks Apple got it right. When folded, the phone is a bit more square than a regular phone, but he could get used to it. Unfold it, and it’s basically a thinner, more elegant iPad mini. It’s the sweet spot, he said, and he could easily see it being his primary phone.
Holding it fully unfolded feels a bit odd, as you’re probably smearing greasy fingerprints across the outer display. Stan doesn’t really see how that could be avoided.
For the first time, Apple is using an under-the-display camera on the iPhone Duo. The way it works is pretty sleek. It’s nearly invisible until you need it, and it appears and disappears with a cool little animation. Its slightly off-center position can look a little odd when the display is unfolded, but Stan doesn’t think it’ll matter much in actual use.
A slippery concern
One thing worries him, though.
The iPhone Duo’s edges are slippery. That makes it a bit harder to unfold, even with two hands. Stan hasn’t tried it with a case yet, but he thinks a grippy case will be a must-have.
A device priced at $2,000 will likely need protection, so a case is something most people end up wanting.
Stan says it’s fine that the iPhone Duo reviews will arrive a little later, since they’re coming roughly one month after the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, which go on sale in just over a week. The delay gives developers time to adapt their apps for the Duo.
He concluded that Netflix stands as the sole third-party app that has been thoroughly revised to operate well on the Duo.
Stan is excited about spending more time with the phone, and he believes it’s the most interesting iPhone Apple has launched in years.
The numbers so far
- Price: $2,000
- Launch window: October
- iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max availability: in just over a week
- Third-party app fully adapted for the Duo so far: Netflix
Stan works as a Senior Editor at Mashable, a position he’s held since 2007. His writing focuses on groundbreaking developments, usually involving phones, coins, or cars. Stan aims to be well-versed across all subjects.
The true test of the Duo will be how well it handles more apps built for its foldable display, and how reviewers fare living with it after a brief demo rather than a mere glance in a showroom. Until then, the early verdict stands: Apple’s first attempt at a folding phone feels polished.
Source: mashable.com
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