The iPhone Duo was one of the most talked-about devices at Apple’s latest event. Even as Apple’s first-ever foldable phone, it already feels remarkably mature in terms of design, build quality, and overall software experience. That said, it’s not without its trade-offs.
That’s the takeaway from Malvin Nathaniel, tech reviewer at Bestindotech (BIT), after getting hands-on time with the iPhone Duo following its unveiling at Apple Park. According to him, the inner display quality and UI/UX implementation stand out as the device’s biggest strengths, while its weight, over 250 grams, is a compromise that’s immediately noticeable.
“You could say the iPhone Duo feels genuinely ‘mature’ from the very first impression of using it,” Malvin said.
Malvin admits the iPhone Duo is the Apple device he’s been most curious about in recent memory, understandably so, given that this marks Apple’s first foldable device after years of Android manufacturers experimenting with various foldable form factors.
“It’s definitely the iPhone Duo, because this is the first time Apple has made a foldable device after various Android brands tried out different form factors,” he said.
What Stands Out About the iPhone Duo
What impressed Malvin most wasn’t just the hardware, it was how thoughtfully Apple optimized the software experience for a folding screen.
“The UI and UX feel like they were very carefully thought through by Apple,” he said.
According to Malvin, using the iPhone Duo doesn’t feel like iOS simply stretched onto a larger screen. The interface genuinely feels like it was intentionally designed around the device’s foldable form factor.
“It feels distinctly different, and clearly designed intentionally for the iPhone Duo specifically,” he explained.
One small detail that stood out was the animation when using the device. This aspect wasn’t heavily highlighted by Apple during its presentation, but it left a strong impression once experienced hands-on.
“The animations on the iPhone Duo weren’t really emphasized directly by Apple, but after trying it, they actually give a strong impression of their first foldable device,” Malvin said.
Another standout for Malvin was the iPhone Duo’s overall build quality. Even setting aside the Apple brand entirely and judging it purely as a foldable phone, he rated it highly, particularly on two aspects that matter most for foldables: build quality and inner screen quality.
“Especially when judged on build quality and inner screen as a foldable, this is arguably one of the best out there,” he said.
That impression is especially notable given that the iPhone Duo is Apple’s first-generation foldable device. Apple arrived late to the foldable market, but based on Malvin’s brief hands-on experience, its first product doesn’t feel experimental at all.
Where the iPhone Duo Falls Short
Still, there’s one compromise that’s immediately noticeable the moment you pick up the iPhone Duo: its weight.
At over 250 grams, Malvin found the iPhone Duo to feel fairly heavy, especially considering that several competing foldables are now racing to become thinner and lighter than ever.
“The weight is quite noticeable, over 250 grams, at a time when other foldables are already lighter than a regular candybar smartphone,” he said.
The foldable form factor also brings the same limitations commonly found in similar devices, particularly when it comes to activities that require a long vertical screen space.
“Similar to other foldables with the same form factor, the difficulty shows up in things that need vertical space, like chatting apps,” Malvin explained.
In other words, a bigger screen doesn’t automatically make every activity more comfortable. The overall experience still depends heavily on the specific app and how content is displayed within the iPhone Duo’s screen ratio.
Based on this early hands-on impression, the iPhone Duo looks like a genuinely confident first attempt at a foldable phone rather than an experimental side project, strong software integration and build quality included. Whether the weight compromise is a dealbreaker will likely come down to personal preference, but for a first-generation foldable, Apple appears to have avoided many of the growing pains that plagued early Android foldables.