iPhone Duo
Apple (video, MacRumors, Hacker News, Slashdot):
Apple today introduced iPhone Duo, the first foldable iPhone. Opened, it is the thinnest iPhone ever, with a 7.6-inch inner display that provides a large canvas for viewing content, gaming, and multitasking, and a special nano-texture finish that minimizes glare for an unparalleled viewing experience. Closed, the 5.4-inch outer display delivers 90 percent of the screen area of iPhone 18 Pro in a compact, pocketable design. Both displays share the same aspect ratio, so content scales proportionally, ensuring visual continuity. iPhone Duo is built to last with an innovative hardware design and a precision hinge that offers a smooth, satisfying feel with every use.
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The 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide camera — the same as on iPhone 18 Pro models — captures wider fields of view and enables macro photography, while the Center Stage front camera can automatically take photos and videos in any orientation, so users don’t have to rotate iPhone for landscape selfies. Upgraded Photographic Styles with new texture and grain controls let users further dial in their desired appearance and have more creative control over their photos. […] The foldable design with dual displays unlocks camera experiences that are not possible on any other iPhone.
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Lock Screen controls, the Dock on the Home Screen, and app navigation and controls now appear on the side to maximize vertical space for content. When iPhone Duo is open, the display shows two Home Screen pages with Today View — a vertically scrolling list of customizable widgets — on the left. The status bar includes a circular, flexible system that nestles into the corner of the screen, showing relevant information like Wi-Fi, cellular strength, battery, and more.
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The expansive display supercharges productivity, letting users do more at once with new multitasking capabilities. Split View allows users to open two apps side by side on iPhone for the first time.
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iPhone Duo is available in star white and night sky, and starts at $1,999, or $83.29 per month for 24 months, in 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB storage capacities.
I love the idea of the larger screen and how it can be balanced half-folded like a laptop, upside-down, or on the short side. The camera is better than I expected. The price is high enough to make me lose interest but perhaps not unreasonable if it can actually replace your iPad. My main concern is that the wide passport-style shape doesn’t look very comfortable to hold or keep in your pocket. It’s great that it can unfold, but the compact form factor is how most people will probably hold it most of the time. How well does the side Touch ID work if you’re left-handed?
The release notes of Xcode 27 RC doesn’t contain the phrase ‘Duo’…
Learn how to update and optimize your app for the foldable display of iPhone Duo. Discover how to opt in to the full-screen experience, adopt flexible layout best practices, and simulate poses in Device Hub with Xcode. Find out how to use size classes instead of interface orientation, handle asymmetric safe areas, and test Split View multitasking to ensure your app shines in all the ways people use it …
This is like a whole new platform dropping with a month’s lead time
The app design implications alone that are now basically forced onto app developers is nuts. Vision Pro was opt in but… all iPhone apps have to support this new device right? What a nightmare. Ugh, websites? New safe areas?
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As an anecdotal data point, I’ve had my foldable OnePlus Open for over 2 and a half years. It’s fallen on tile and cement, been kicked accidentally, and swatted across a room by my cat. The hinge and screens have no problems.
Here’s the list of tech products that have the Duo moniker[…]
Previously:
- iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max
- UIKit in iOS 27
- iPhone Air
- iPhone 18 Pro Variable Camera Aperture Rumor
- Galaxy Fold Review
- Galaxy Unpacked 2019
5 Comments RSS · Twitter · Mastodon
The reason I'm on a TouchID SE3, and will never buy a FaceID iPhone; ApplePay, in a mask, and sunglasses. That's my world. That world didn't change when everyone else decided to stop masking, indeed it became more extreme.
FaceID (with a mask) is explicitly not supported while wearing sunglasses. I haven't used cash, or a physical credit / debit card for about a decade.
Every purchase, I reach into my pocket, my thumb naturally locates to the home button, I pull the phone out of my pocket and move it straight to the POS terminal, I feel / hear the beep, usually don't even bother to look at the screen, phone goes straight back into pocket.
The foldable phone, if the power button is easily discernible with a thumb, you'd slide your (left) hand over it, draw it out with your thumb on the button, and palm mostly covering the screen, put it straight to the reader, presumably press the button.
For me, I could envisage buying one of these, with no interest in the internal screen whatsoever.
Same question as you about left-hand usage: I wonder if like an Apple Watch there is a preferred orientation setting. Holding it with the hinge on the left means that the camera is in the bottom left corner though, which may push Apple to not offer this option at all; too bad for the TouchID "thumb convenience".
Too many devs and designers are freaking out over the work to support this thing. It's the same crowd that thinks they have to adopt every new feature or change come WWDC.
Just stop.
Your existence doesn't have to revolve around an evil megacorp suddenly dropping shit on your lap and giving you little time to figure it all out.
If you're there on day 1 or day 100, you're still an early adopter. You can't be this cucked to a megacorp. The more you revolve your life around Apple's dumbassery, the more Apple will keep doing it.
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The Duo looks much better than I expected, but it's $2000 for another locked-down iOS consumption device so I'll pass. It looks perfect for executives and managers who want to showcase their wealth by possessing [NOVEL EXPENSIVE TOY]. Not exactly the target market for a most app devs and their products, I think.
