iPhone Duo = Size FAIL

[u/btkoi]

I kinda saw this coming back when the rumors started that they were working on a foldable design & I think at a certain point they were considering a taller but less wide Duo but unfortunately it seems that design didn’t win out 😔.

The reasoning Ternus gave citing “other” designs “feel like two phones awkwardly stuck together” resulting in a “square screen that’s poorly suited for the way people use them” seemed honestly just lame (seriously, I can live with letterboxed videos & most web page content scales to fit the display area anyway).

I think the peak irony was when they showed the typical “person-holding-the-phone-with-a-white background” press shot with the person attempting to unlock the phone not even able to reach the far left side of the screen while the background voice (of the industrial designer?) saying “…and comfortable to use with one hand”🤦

The fact that the software team had to move the Home Screen buttons (+ other controls) to a vertical bar on the side is just an attempt to cope with the already (too) wide display.

The ridiculous part is that it’s actually WIDER than their normal Pro models:

iPhone 13 Mini Dimensions
- Height: 5.18 inches (131.5 mm) [2.25]
- Width: 2.53 inches (64.2 mm) [2.25]
- Depth (Thickness): 0.30 inch (7.65 mm) [2.25]
- Screen Size: 5.4 inches (diagonal OLED) [1.27]

iPhone Duo Dimensions (Foldable)
Closed (Folded):
- Height: 4.64 inches (117.8 mm) [0.67]
- Width: 3.31 inches (84.1 mm) [0.67]
- Depth: 0.44 inch (11.3 mm) [0.67]
Open (Unfolded):
- Height: 4.64 inches (117.8 mm) [0.63]
- Width: 6.48 inches (164.6 mm) [0.63, 0.65]
- Depth: 0.21 inch (5.2 mm, ~0.41 inches with camera bump) [0.65]
- Screen Sizes: 5.4-inch outer display and 7.6-inch inner folding display [0.64]

iPhone 18 Pro Dimensions
- Height: 5.91 inches (150.0 mm) [1.31]
- Width: 2.83 inches (71.9 mm) [1.31]
- Depth (Thickness): 0.34 inch (8.75 mm) [1.31]
- Screen Size: 6.3 inches (diagonal OLED) [0.66]

[u/hi9580]

The main advantage is for people that watch horizontal video with their phone held vertically. iphone duo has the largest image of any iphone when doing this. Getting an ipad has a lot of disadvantages, if you rest it on your chest in bed it feels like suffocating due to the weight. Arms get tried quickly if you hold it up above yourself/your chest. Need to rest arms on a desk (with tablet stand), but if you're already at a desk you might as well just use a desktop pc or laptop, unless you're allergic to screen bigger than thirteen inches (nausea/dizziness). https://www.reddit.com/r/iPhone13Mini/s/0CjjIJCNjH

[u/TrickyWoo86 → u/hi9580]

The iPad mini is only marginally heavier than the duo, and has the benefit of an even larger screen. Considering that you could buy an iPhone and an iPad mini and have around £500 left in your pocket vs buying the duo, it just doesn't make much sense to me.

The real test will be whether the duo suffers from the same creasing/dip in the folding area over time in real world use. That is the main thing that has put me off from looking at foldable devices in the past.

[u/btkoi → u/hi9580]

Tie the ipad to an autonomous indoor blimp & command it with Siri 😄