At long last, Apple has released its first foldable iPhone. The iPhone Duo. The iPhone Duo features an outer 5.4-inch display and a 7.6-inch inner display. On paper, the Duo is an impressive device.
It offers extra screen real estate on the go, minus the bulk of an iPad, and all the iPhone features we’ve come to know and love.
But it’s an expensive chunk of technology. It looks cool. But is it worth the price? I’d argue no.
Haven’t we seen this name before?
I’ll admit, I chuckled a bit when Apple announced the name. iPhone Duo. Duo. Where have I heard that name before?
Oh yeah. Microsoft.
Back in 2020, Microsoft announced its own foldable device. The Surface Duo. Unlike the iPhone, the Surface Duo wasn’t exactly marketed as a phone and lacked an outer screen. Though it did accept both eSIM and nano-SIM cards for mobile connectivity.
The Surface Duo is now discontinued, and it seems unlikely to make a comeback. Though honestly, now that Apple is charging laptop money for a phone, maybe the incentive is there for Microsoft to consider it.
But that’s the thing. In 2020, the Surface Duo launched at a price of $1,399 for the 256GB model.
In 2026, Apple’s foldable with 256GB of storage starts at $1,999.
Starts.
Priced like a MacBook
The cheapest iPhone Duo is the 256GB model. At that price, you can pay two grand outright or finance it for around $84 a month.
Moving up to 512GB bumps the price to $2,199. 1TB to $2,599. And the 2TB model? Over three THOUSAND dollars at $3,199.
For comparison, a 16-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 Pro chip, 24GB of memory and 1TB of storage costs less, at $2,999 USD. Or if you prefer the 14-inch MacBook, you can get a 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 Pro chip, 48GB of memory and 1TB of storage for $3,299.
The iPhone Duo, cool or not, is priced at MacBook Pro levels. That’s insane.
Granted, I’m sure the global chip shortages (no thanks to AI) have a role to play here. The Apple tax aside, the iPhone Duo is a very expensive device.
Durability concerns
Apple’s iPhone Duo is hardly the first foldable phone to hit the market. But I’ve personally held off on buying one and will continue to do so. I’m just not convinced about the long term durability of a foldable OLED display. My concerns about OLED aside, Apple can’t escape physics. And over time, any material that’s thin enough wears out.
Now of course I imagine that Apple has engineered the iPhone Duo to withstand thousands and thousands of folds, but we’ve seen from other foldable phones what can happen over time and what happens when dirt and debris get caught between the halves of the phone in a pocket or bag.
This concern is certainly not unique to Apple of course. It’s the same reason I’ve refused to buy a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold or Pixel Fold or Motorola Razr Fold. They look great, but just how well they’ll hold up over time… That’s what concerns me.
I’ll be very interested to see what if anything Apple has done to help ensure the long term durability of the display itself. I do appreciate that they claim to have reinforced the hinge mechanism to keep it working for a long time. That’s great. But that doesn’t really touch on the greater issue in my mind.
A couple of cool features
Despite my plans to skip the iPhone Duo, I did find a couple of its features very exciting and worth noting.
Apple Pencil (USB-C) support
I and many others have long wanted Apple Pencil support for the iPhone. At least for the Pro and Pro Max models. Especially while we have apps like Procreate which are great for mobile artists. Sadly the Duo only supports the USB-C Apple Pencil and not the Apple Pencil Pro (which depends on a compatible iPad for charging). I would very much have liked to see them include the charging hardware for an Apple Pencil Pro. Or even offer a smaller version of the Apple Pencil Pro that fits better with the smaller form factor of the iPhone Duo. That would be a great pairing in my opinion.
Under display interior camera
Unlike a regular iPhone, the iPhone Duo does not have Face ID, which is a bummer. In its place, though, it has a camera underneath the internal display, which allows the phone to take selfies and work with FaceTime without having a punch hole in the display or a giant notch taking up screen space. I suspect that part of the reason for ditching Face ID here was to keep the phone thin. A Face ID sensor requires physical depth provided by other iPhone models but not the thin design of the iPhone Duo.
Who is this iPhone for?
Objectively, the iPhone Duo is not the best iPhone Apple has ever made. It’s not. Does it look cool? Absolutely. And the sci-fi nerd part of me loves the idea of unfolding a display. That just brings back memories of growing up on sci-fi TV. Good times.
But in a world with the iPhone 17 Pro series and the iPhone 18 Pro series, I have a hard time seeing the real selling point of the iPhone Duo. The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max have better cameras, slightly better battery life (depending on use) and Face ID. Plus, they’re cheaper.
Don’t get me wrong. I very much enjoy my iPhone 17 Pro Max. I think it’s a great phone and I would easily buy one again. But even that was a very expensive device. There’s no way I would have felt comfortable buying one if it were $1,799, $1,899 or like the iPhone Duo: $1,999+. No way.
But, like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold, the iPhone Duo seems to be targeted at the kind of buyer who wants the absolute top tier phone he can get, no matter the price.
And hey, if that’s you, go for it. Have fun. Personally, I just don’t see the value proposition. Not at $2,000.
I’ve been rocking an iPhone consistently since the iPhone XS Max. My first ever? The iPhone 4s. I’ve gone from the iPhone XS Max to the iPhone 11 Pro Max to the 13 Pro Max, the 15 Pro and now an iPhone 17 Pro Max.
While I very much enjoy my 17 Pro Max, even that is overkill for the vast majority of people. Maybe even for me. The iPhone Duo? Much more so.
What I’ll be going for instead
Personally, I’ll be sticking with the “regular” form factor iPhones for now. I’m glad that Apple has released the iPhone Duo for those who want it. But after seeing the keynote and the price, I’m just not one of those people.
Look, the ability to multitask is very cool. Granted. That’s something that Apple can and should bring to other model iPhones. (Even my old Pixel 2 could do it. Apple has no excuse here.) But is that ability worth an extra $700+? Not to me. Not right now.
I’ll be sticking with the regular iPhone form factor for now. It’s tried and true, and I know I can get protective cases that protect my screen from scratches and drops. No matter what Apple claims about its Ceramic Shield 2 glass, it’s not impervious to damage and having an extra layer of protection isn’t a bad idea.
Especially for a device that starts at $1,999, I need to know I can actually keep it protected from my clumsiness. Case makers will have to impress me first.
As for you, dear reader, if you love the idea of a foldable phone and have been waiting for Apple to announce theirs, you might not really care about the high price tag. If so, go for it. Have fun.
But for myself and for others, I find the iPhone Duo a hard sell. One that I just can’t really get behind at the moment.