I’m a big foldable phone fan and thought about selling off a bunch of other Apple gear—M4 iPad Pro, 6th-gen iPad Mini, maybe even my regular iPhone 16 Pro Max—to get an iPhone Duo.
But now the reviews are here, and the verdict is mixed. While pretty much everyone loves the ability to conjure an iPad Mini from their pockets, the passport shape is awkward to hold when closed and makes one-handed use difficult. I already knew this from my time with Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold8, but the Duo’s added weight and thickness exacerbates the problem. The old adage with new Apple product categories is that you always wait for the second generation, and as The Verge’s review argues, this is the messiest first-generation Apple product in some time. Too bad, because some of the early iPhone Duo apps look delightful.
It’s odd how quickly consensus formed around the passport shape being the ideal foldable format, only for reviewers to then knock it. I don’t expect Apple to release a taller foldable akin to Samsung’s Fold8 Ultra (which is still what I prefer), but hopefully future iterations will feel a little less compromised (and, perhaps, less prone to screen damage).