Apple Duo

On Wednesday Apple unveiled the industry’s worst-kept secret - the iPhone Duo. It’s Apple’s first attempt at folding tech. I went into the “Surprise and Shine” event not feeling overly enthused, but their advert demo and subsequent hands-on have now got my attention.

I’ve long believed that foldables are the future of phones, but I’ve always understood why there’s been such resistance. I previously owned a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and loved it. However, a few things made it a device geared more towards “tech nerds” and early adopters.

First was the price; at over £1,000 it priced out casual users from giving the form factor a try. I myself bought it second-hand two years after release for half that. Second was durability; there have always been concerns as to how well the screens and hinge hold up over time. Mine died after its first year of use (luckily it was in warranty). Finally, the software was a bit undercooked. At best, the inner screen made some apps work brilliantly. Outlook comes to mind where it would display my email on the right while displaying my inbox on the left - very similar to a desktop experience. At worst an app would render in the middle of the screen with large borders (Instagram) or a menu bar would be cut off making the app borderline unusable. The front screen deserves an honourable mention; at an aspect ratio of ~24.5:9, no app looked good.

What we’re seeing with iPhone Duo is Apple’s attempt to deal with the device quality and software. They seem to be confident in the durability of the device (though, we’ll have to wait for full reviews before confirmation), as well as software support. With the software, there are some genuinely clever ideas such as the way the screen blurs while you’re opening it (this has almost sold me on one alone). The Netflix demo also looks pretty neat.

The price at £2,000, while in line with similar devices from the likes of Samsung, is still going to alienate the casual user.

All this is to say that I’m now sorely tempted by the Duo. Which is exactly what Apple wants me to think. Clearly they did “Surprise” me though I’m not sure where my “Shine” is yet.