Apple unveiled the iPhone Duo at its “Surprise and Shine” event, and my jaw dropped. To be fair, I had a pretty good idea about the phone’s hardware, but the software polish and little nice touches Apple added everywhere made me instantly pull out my credit card.
From the opening animation to the almost creaseless nano-texture display to the under-display camera to the IP68 water and dust resistance, Apple has certainly delivered with its first try at a foldable phone.
But since seeing the iPhone Duo for the first time, I have had a few days to think about the phone, and I have some qualms. While the iPhone Duo is still enticing, there are a few reasons that make me hesitant to drop the dough when the pre-order window opens. So, let’s talk about them.
The camera setup still feels like a compromise
I currently daily drive an iPhone Air, a phone I adore. But spending a year with it opened my eyes to some of its compromises, with the biggest being the lack of a telephoto lens. I didn’t know how much I used that lens until I started driving the iPhone Air daily.
The telephoto lens gives you the freedom to capture the same subject with different framing without moving. It also performs really well for portrait shots, and of course, for capturing far-away subjects.
While the iPhone Duo packs a second lens, it’s an ultra-wide lens and not a telephoto, and that’s a loss in my eyes. I rarely use the ultra-wide lens and would rather have the versatile telephoto lens instead.
In a world where the iPhone 18 Pro exists with its pro camera setup that not only sports a telephoto lens but also a primary shooter with variable aperture, it’s hard to justify buying an iPhone Duo if you capture a ton of photos.
254 grams is a lot to carry around
My iPhone Air weighs 165 grams and feels fairly light in the hands and in my pocket. While I expected the iPhone Duo to be hefty, it’s almost 100 grams heavier than the iPhone Air, weighing 254 grams (8.96 ounces). That’s a lot of weight to carry around in your pocket.
If you think that comparison is not fair, let’s compare it with its direct rival, the Galaxy Z Fold 8, which weighs only 201 grams (7.09 ounces). That means the iPhone Duo weighs roughly a quarter more than the Z Fold, making it noticeably heavier despite both phones being a similar size.
Add on a protective case, because you will need one to protect your $2,000 investment, and you are looking at a beefy boy in your pockets. I don’t think I would mind this weight when using it in tablet mode, but one-handed use will be painful.
MacBook Pro Ultra is on the horizon
My final point has nothing to do with the iPhone Duo itself, but its price and release timeline. Let’s be clear, $2,000 is not cheap for a phone, and it’s a hard pill to swallow even in a vacuum.
But the iPhone Duo is not launching in a vacuum, as every rumor points to the redesigned MacBook Ultra with an OLED display, possibly with a touch-screen, thinner chassis, and a latest-generation M-series process, launching in October.
As much as I love my iPhone, if I can keep only one Apple product, it would be the MacBook, and my M1 MacBook Pro has become too long in the tooth and is ripe for an upgrade. On the other hand, the iPhone Air is just a year old and can easily last me a few more years.
If the new MacBook were six months out, maybe I could have justified upgrading to the iPhone Duo, because despite my reservations, I would have loved to experience Apple’s take on foldable phones.
Final thoughts
Look, iPhone Duo is not a bad phone. Far from it, it might be the best first-generation foldable we have seen yet. But being the best doesn’t automatically mean it’s the right phone for me right now.
Between the missing telephoto lens, the extra heft in my pocket, and a redesigned MacBook waiting just around the corner, I would rather sit this one out and see how the second-generation iPhone Duo shapes up. Sometimes the smartest upgrade is the one you don’t make.
