--- title: "iPhone Duo reviews are in: the £1,999 foldable wins on design, loses on weight and apps" description: "Early iPhone Duo reviews praise the hinge, matte screen and near-invisible crease. Weight, the missing telephoto and unoptimised apps are the common complaints." url: https://mactoreality.com/iphone-duo-reviews-roundup published: 2026-10-22T07:45:00Z updated: 2026-10-22T07:47:10.000Z author: "Martin" category: News publisher: Mac to Reality apple_heat_impact: 3 --- # iPhone Duo reviews are in: the £1,999 foldable wins on design, loses on weight and apps *Early iPhone Duo reviews praise the hinge, matte screen and near-invisible crease. Weight, the missing telephoto and unoptimised apps are the common complaints.* **Mac to Reality Review Score: 84/100** (based on 8 reviews, last updated 2026-10-21) The first iPhone Duo reviews went live on 21 October, two days before Apple’s first foldable goes on sale. The verdict is broadly positive: critics agree Apple has built the most polished foldable hardware yet, with a hinge and matte inner screen that make the crease almost disappear. The same reviews say it is heavy, lacks a dedicated telephoto camera and is let down for now by apps that haven’t been updated for its wide screens. Scores range from 7/10 at The Verge and WIRED to 4.75 out of 5 at TechRadar. CNET and PCMag both gave it an Editors’ Choice award. ### Key facts - Price: from £1,999, $1,999 or €2,299 (Germany) for 256GB, up to £3,199 / $3,199 for 2TB. UK and EU prices include VAT. - On sale Friday 23 October in more than 70 countries, including the UK, Ireland, Germany, France, the US, Canada and Australia. 28 more follow on 30 October. - 5.4-inch outer and 7.6-inch inner display, A20 Pro chip, 254 grams, Touch ID instead of Face ID, eSIM only. ## What the reviewers say ### The Verge: 7/10 The Verge calls it the riskiest Apple product in years and “a messy, expensive, good time”. It praises the matte inner display but finds the outer screen too small for everyday use, says the phone gets hot and rates the cameras as “just OK”. Its conclusion: gadget fans will love it, most other people will be frustrated for now. ### WIRED: 7/10 WIRED says Apple was right to wait and calls the hardware “astonishingly good” for a first foldable. Its criticism is aimed at the software: split-screen is locked to a 50/50 layout, there’s no third floating app, and a trackpad only worked after turning on AssistiveTouch. It also notes the Duo is heavier than an iPhone 18 Pro Max. ### Engadget: 8.8/10 Engadget describes it as “a first-class foldable” and singles out the hinge, which Apple says has more than 100 components, plus the IP68 rating and strong battery life. It warns that the nano-texture layer on the inner screen can come off if you pick at it, and replacing it costs $49. ### CNET: 8.7/10, Editors’ Choice CNET says Apple was late to the foldable party but “steals the show”. It likes how iOS 27 works across both displays, but lists the missing Face ID and telephoto camera, the limited multitasking in portrait and right-side controls that may not suit left-handed users. ### TechRadar: 4.75/5 TechRadar calls it a foldable “in the most Apple way possible” and the obvious choice for Apple fans. It still thinks Samsung’s lighter and slightly cheaper Galaxy Z Fold 8 remains a serious rival, and criticises how much of the cover screen is lost to the dock. ### Tom’s Guide: 4.5/5 Tom’s Guide calls it the best-designed foldable it has tested. Optimised apps look great, it says, but apps that haven’t been updated look bad, and the matte screen mutes colours slightly. ### PCMag: 4.5/5, Editors’ Choice PCMag says the Duo is “late to the fold, but well worth the wait”, and that it delivers the best hardware, performance and battery life of any foldable phone on the market. ### Daily Express: 4/5 The Express calls it “a fabulous foldable with some compromises” and weighs up whether it is worth close to £2,000 for UK buyers. ### Reviews without a score CNN calls it “Apple’s coolest phone in years”, Popular Mechanics “the best foldable phone yet” and GB News “easily the best foldable money can buy”, though not the best phone for most people. Men’s Health and The Sun have also published reviews. ## Video reviews ### Marques Brownlee: “First generation fun” The most-watched review so far comes from Marques Brownlee (MKBHD), who sums the Duo up as a fun first-generation product. ### The Wall Street Journal: is it worth $2,000? The Wall Street Journal tested the Duo for a week to answer whether Apple’s first foldable is worth around $2,000. ### Mrwhosetheboss: “Messier than you think” Arun Maini takes the more critical line, arguing the Duo is messier in daily use than it first appears. ## Where the reviews agree - **Praised:** the hinge, the build quality, the matte inner display that hides the crease when viewed head-on, and the identical 1.4:1 aspect ratio on both screens. - **Criticised:** the 254-gram weight, no dedicated telephoto camera, Touch ID instead of Face ID, and many third-party apps that still show black bars on the inner screen. - **Not yet tested:** Apple Pencil support, which Apple says arrives later this year, and how the crease and coating hold up after months of use. ## Why it matters Reviewers agree the hardware is ready and the software is not quite there. Developers need to build against the iOS 27.1 SDK for full support, so the experience should improve in the coming weeks. If you rely on apps that haven’t been updated, it may pay to wait. At £1,999 in the UK and from €2,299 in Europe, it costs about the same as rival foldables, but it is a lot more than an iPhone 18 Pro. For prices in every region, release dates and full specs, see our iPhone Duo guide. ## Review scores | Outlet | Score | /100 | Video | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [The Verge](https://www.theverge.com/tech/1015028/iphone-duo-review) | 7/10 | 70 | [Yes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5gptFkgBlI) | | [WIRED](https://www.wired.com/review/apple-iphone-duo/) | 7/10 | 70 | No | | [Engadget](https://www.engadget.com/2292333/apple-iphone-duo-review/) | 8.8/10 | 88 | No | | [CNET](https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/iphone-duo-review/) | 8.7/10 | 87 | [Yes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULWD2IAfH1c) | | [TechRadar](https://www.techradar.com/phones/iphone/apple-iphone-duo-review) | 4.75/5 | 95 | No | | [Tom's Guide](https://www.tomsguide.com/phones/iphones/apple-iphone-duo-review) | 4.5/5 | 90 | [Yes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbWV4A3i7kE) | | [PCMag](https://uk.pcmag.com/mobile-phones/168028/apple-iphone-duo) | 4.5/5 | 90 | No | | [Daily Express](https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/science-technology/2259204/apple-iphone-duo-review) | 4/5 | 80 | No | | [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/21/tech/apple-iphone-duo-review) | No score | — | No | | [Popular Mechanics](https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/a74192937/apple-iphone-duo-review/) | No score | — | No | | [GB News](https://www.gbnews.com/tech/iphone-duo-review) | No score | — | No | | [Men's Health](https://www.menshealth.com/technology-gear/a74194773/apple-iphone-duo-review/) | No score | — | No | | [The Sun](https://www.the-sun.com/tech/17182951/iphone-duo-review-apple/) | No score | — | No | Unscored and video reviews are listed but not counted.