Apple’s iPhone Duo is at its best unfolded and at its weakest folded, according to Macworld’s day-one report, published on launch day, 23 October. Open, the foldable feels thin and light with a pleasant inner display; closed, it is thick and wide, with the smallest iPhone screen in years, many apps not yet formatted for its unusual shape and trouble fitting into tight jeans pockets.
The inner screen’s nanotexture coating reduces glare while staying bright, at the cost of slightly less deep blacks. The outer screen’s unusual shape has one upside: an extra-wide keyboard that Macworld found easier to use than the iPhone 18 Pro Max keyboard. Our iPhone Duo reviews roundup found the same split.
The Duo also moves the Dynamic Island to the upper-right corner on both displays. A status bar beneath it shows battery, Wi-Fi strength and cellular signal; tapping it opens the full Control Center. Lock the phone and stand it in a tent posture, and it becomes a desk clock in StandBy mode, even when not connected to power; partially opening it shows a two-page StandBy view.
Cameras: strong rear, weak selfie
The 48MP main camera is slightly behind the iPhone 18 Pro’s in low light but stays close, while the ultra-wide matches Apple’s best and handles macro shots. Some Pro controls (aperture, histogram, shutter speed) are missing, but white balance, manual focus with focus peaking and photographic styles with adjustable skin texture and grain remain.
Selfies are the Duo’s weak point. The outer 12MP front camera uses an older sensor with weaker dynamic range and clarity than the 18MP sensor in other recent iPhones; the 4MP under-display camera on the inner screen is blurry and over-sharpened, far worse than iPhone selfie cameras since the iPhone X and good enough only for FaceTime in good light. Flipping the phone and using the ‘Slide to show camera’ option to shoot with the 48MP main camera works well, Macworld said.
App support is patchy
How much owners enjoy the Duo depends heavily on their apps, Macworld found. Duo-optimised apps such as Spotify, Slack, Instagram and Netflix work well, apps updated for iOS 27’s resizable layouts such as Outlook are a decent stopgap, but older apps sit in black bars. Kindle was ‘flat-out busted’, and Google News has not been updated. Macworld also echoed reviewers’ complaints about Touch ID in place of Face ID.