The nanotexture finish on the inner screen is the star of the show. The matte surface reduces the crease’s visibility, while also minimizing glare and reflections. It also feels like e-paper, which I imagine will be very welcome when Apple Pencil support is added later this year (via a software update). Writing on a screen always feels better when the screen isn’t entirely smooth.
You don’t get the crisp video quality, deep blacks, and sharp contrast of the iPhone 18 Pro when watching movies and shows on apps like Netflix on the nanotexture panel. However, colors are still just as vibrant, and the experience is very similar. I didn’t have any issues with screen brightness—the Duo gets up to 3,000 nits at peak outdoor brightness—even with the textured finish, though off-axis viewing isn’t great in direct sunlight.
Much of my time this past week has been thinking about wasted space. Sometimes I questioned Apple’s decision to move all the navigation elements of iOS to the right rail—there’s so much wasted space in some apps! Then I use an app that uses all that space, and I’m content. That’s probably my takeaway. If you want to try Apple’s first folding phone, wait a few months for developers to optimize their apps. (It might actually help that the phone is backordered until January.) Waiting might help in other ways too—Apple plans to add Reachability later this year for the Duo, letting folks with small hands more easily access the left or right edges of the screen with a tap.
This is often the case with first-generation products, but it may be prudent to wait for the Duo 2—not because there are glaring issues here, but I suspect Apple may tackle the weight problem with the next version, just as Samsung did on its latest iteration.
Folding phones will never be for everyone. Some people do not care for the bigger screen. Others have durability concerns, and a device with more moving parts will never be as repairable or robust as its single-slab counterpart. Price is a barrier for others—but on that note, the Duo is surprisingly on par with its competitors (though still expensive).
But the folding category is here to stay. I know people who swear by the fold and won’t buy anything else. I’m starting to convert, especially with the newer passport-style shape. Now if only someone could figure out how to put a real zoom camera on there.
