THE CRUNCH
Apple's first foldable, the iPhone Duo, has landed at $1,999 and the early verdicts are largely positive. Engadget calls it worth the wait despite the phone being heavy, expensive and late to market compared with Android rivals, while The Verge's reviewer is convinced by one standout choice: the matte nanotexture finish on the 7.6-inch inner display. It is a first-generation product with rough edges, notably apps that still need fine-tuning for the two-screen design, but both reviews frame it as a genuinely considered take on the foldable.
The Duo pairs a glossy 5.4-inch outer OLED with 120Hz ProMotion and up to 3,000 nits peak brightness alongside that larger 7.6-inch inner panel. The matte finish on the inside screen cuts reflections, hides the crease and protects the flexible display beneath it, though a small divot is visible if you look for it. The Verge found it fought off glare from an aeroplane window and made reading easier on the eyes, with only a slight loss of richness in dark, shadowy scenes.
One caution: the nanotexture layer can be removed if picked at, and it is replaceable for a $49 fee, but unlike some Android rivals there is no setup warning that only Apple-certified technicians should remove it. Build quality gets similar praise, with a titanium chassis and a hinge Apple says has more than 100 components holding the phone together. The hinge holds itself open across a wide range of positions, and the Duo carries an IP68 dust and water resistance rating, which Engadget notes only one other foldable family on sale in the US matches: the Pixel 11 Pro Fold line.
In place of Face ID, Apple uses a Touch ID sensor in the side lock button, which the company says keeps the experience consistent with iPads and MacBooks, though unlocking takes a little longer than expected. The textured inner surface should also suit drawing or note-taking with an Apple Pencil, with support for that arriving later this month. The phone arrives as the first marquee device of John Ternus's tenure as CEO, and Engadget sees the Duo as the start of another paradigm shift for Apple's hardware.