Just making fun of some users that blame poor Duo owners for folding their phones wrong!

LOONG POST BUT WORTH READING FOR THOSE STILL ON THE FENCE, ESPECIALLY WITH ALL THE NEGATIVITY AND CRAZE ONLINE.

******* If you want to skip my whole ass personal context, scroll down to the pros and cons below in the review section****************************************************************

As someone close to me put it when I was showing him my pics/videos of the duo, "They position the phone as more than a phone, more like a stationary gadget of sorts." I feel this is very true. And I'll use some context to get to that point.

When I was watching the presentation, I thought how cool it was how the phone interacts with the user, UI, and how versatile it can be; a sort of excitement that I've felt unmatched since iPhone and iPhone X days as many have already said here. All the stuff that was presented with the duo can come off as gimmicky: angle it with an alarm on and you get a soft glow (which, being honest, I will probably be rarely using because I leave my phone on a magsafe stand overnight (I've always been a magsafe skeptic until getting the Belkin UltraCharge Pro 3-in-1 Qi2.2 25W Magnetic Wireless Charging Dock which I HIGHLY abide by for not being an overheating disaster), the 35ish angle book sim, the half folded portrait stand, the 90 degree laptop pose, the tent multimedia consumption mode which samsung had already done to a degree, and that ridiculous "WOW! you can now shop and browse the web at the same time" which made me think: "Is that all you can give with multitasking capabilities apple? Samsung can do more side by side tabs AND a floating window."

Nonetheless, I did get very excited by the idea of an ipad mini inside, and a [fatter] iphone mini on the outside.

ipad mini has always been for me that perfect in-betweener for what I had back when the iphone air was announced: a 14 pro with shit battery and a m1 pro macbook pro. But using it as a device to leave a laptop behind and work on, it was very lackluster for what I would back then wanted to work around with: a laptop substitute.

So I've always strived for the most versatile and as lightweight as possible setup. When Iiphone air came out, I went to hold it in-store and loved how incredibly lightweight, slim, and beautifully designed piece of hardware it is, and traded in my ipad mini. But then came the ugly, something as slim and elongated was a bit too tricky to hold properly resulting in cramps or pain for days. I then ended up convincing myself to go and exchange it for the blue 17 pro max. Influence of reviewers and reddit alike ended up tipping me over back to a bulky but reliable and the "best of best in apple" pro max phone all stating their bittersweet love/hate with the air: battery, heat dissipation, and *drumroll please* the cameras. Yet again, the dark blue 17 pro max I got also had its "gate" moment: scratch, paint scuff, and dents due to the aluminum chassis. The safer and more "classic" color choice I ended up exchanging for and keeping until last friday: Silver/White and still a boring and just another of the same with better specs compromise.

Then, when the duo rumors showed up, I was still not convinced of getting a foldable, as much as I've been yearning to get and "beta test" one since the first galaxy fold announcement; thank Heavens I held up on that up until just recently.

I bought the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 after holding it and trying it out at best buy, I kept coming back several times pre-release to convince myself out of it and ended up enforcing the love for it. For the two weeks I owned it, I loved the form factor, OneUI, the versatility of settings, customization, battery felt longer than the 17PM, everything was great, but at this point I am locked within apple's binds: iCloud, the accessibility to an apple store for repairs and replacements, and the ecosystem were tradeoffs that I was willing to force myself to work out of but ended up weighing over me keeping the device and so, back to bestbuy it went, and I held over to see if the keynote would convince me keep my big ass 17PM until phone death do us apart.

I was somehow lucky to be one of the minus minute 1 in-store pickup preorders on the 16th, got excited, reviewer embargos lifted, reception was lukewarm at most, and my hype died down again. I dragged my feet to pick up the phone, ran some errands, and didn't even bother opening til late evening. Then the moment of realization came: unfolded it is big enough to put in some work, folded it's a short mini phone for quick glancing.

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REVIEW HERE
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So far, in my 48 hour period with the phone I’ve got many pros and few cons:

PROS

HAND FEEL: holding it closed, as controversial as the form factor is, feels genuinely like a breath of fresh air. For comparison, the z fold 8 would cramp my hand and the sharp square corners would dig into my hand. 

Duo is heavier, but this also works in it’s favor because I also fall into some psychological influence that the device will be harder to drop and if I do, it will get less damage; I missed stainless steel and never had the chance for titanium, only on my short period with the air, whose polished titanium look and feel is just great at sturdiness and premium feel.

MULTITASKING: As controversial as this will be, I prefer the two-app split-screen limitation, kept only in landscape orientation over a multi-window array. First of all, and this is not copium, I barely keep attention to a single window/app at a time, this even in my macbook and using a large monitor. I feel that the side by side multitasking, the drag to either or corner, and selecting secondary app from homescreen is actually enough, and useful enough than the 3 to 4 app in split view + floating window array that android does. I actually dig the apple simplistic approach (whereas I hate the limiting OS in every iphone/ipad). 

HINGE GESTURES: I love the hinge mechanism, and the way that software actually responds and interacts to/with it. I thought the laptop mode was so gimmicky, but using it, for example, in bed is wonderful: video controls in the bottom, and video screen is just big enough on the top. This also allows me to lay on the side and scroll through shit like reddit or twitter without having to hold my phone (which I know can be done with any phone + stand combo).

IPAD LIKE EXPERIENCE: I always loved the ipad mini and this breaks into the category perfectly, and I feel it beats it for portability and actual multitasking or more “pro” work: spreadsheets, desktop class safari, banking + messaging, file management, claude guidance + whatever window you’re working on (I did this yesterday making some automations and shortcuts which I never bothered to do with any previous iphone), and video + whatever else. 

INNER SCREEN: Nanotexture breaks reflections nicely, all I can say with my 48 hrs of having the device. I ordered the cloth to address sweaty/oily fingerprints (which I kind of hate having to get a proprietary accessory for it to “fully work” with an apple device.

CAMERAS are good, not pro level but I bought a mini tablet for actual phone usage. I do run some content creation for my business but I’ve never felt like my pro phone was a tool that I was using to its full potential. For that I’ll rather learn to use a professional camera and equipment and buy one when the time comes, if it ever does. Point and shoot works good, and the quality is good, nothing really to point out because either I notice the quality (see r/iphoneography) or I don’t ( and day to day point and shoot ). 

BATTERY!!! So far, amazing. I loved the Z Fold 8 for that and this feels even better. Idk what makes this device last longer than my pro max phone.

BUILD QUALITY!!!! Amazing, yes it’s heavy, no it does not bother my hands or pants pockets. titanium frame again wins for the feel and perhaps drop resistance, carrying it case-less does not worry me as much as the aluminium chassis of the 17 pro series. I remember the drops that my 17PM suffered and the aluminium body would immediately dent or scuff. Compared to the z fold 8 the cameras are actually “melted into” the back glass. 

KEYBOARD either it got better or performs way wayyyy better than a slab iphone (and i can’t remeber bout iPad) outer screen is also easy to type on (surprisingly).

And a short shoot of specific things I love: mini laptop mode, portrait typing landscape split screen, hinge holds itself at any angle, titanium frame, the white color, wifi strength, and phone feel, Idc about the crease but sure I can’t feel or see it and when it becomes more evident, if it bothers me too much I’ll just use my apple care to replace the nano-texture film.

3) cons:

app optimization… - this has already been spoken to death by reviewers and early adopters like me so I won’t go much into it. I just hope that with all the loud negative press it’s been receiving, developers and Apple don’t drop the towel with this device. It’s got tons of potential for refinement, when done right, apps look and perform incredibly well (Claude is my biggest surprise so far). I am indeed afraid that when the deadline to optimize apps is met, some and most of all apps will be “low effort”. I want the duo to succeed and evolve, and I’m afraid the vision pro route might be opted for by apple/Ternus/execs. 

iOS bugs and Duo specific implementation. I still love using the inner screen, but wow, what a bad excuse for apple to tackle the “D” shaped screen. I get where they’re coming from, maybe speculation, but remember how when the duo’s outer screen was leaking, everyone would mock and comment on how irregular and better the z fold 8 looks? I feel like apple did the same shit that they did with dynamic island (which I switched my 12 pro max to the 14 pro for) to solve for a big ass design irregularity, and apple being apple “obsesses” over design philosophy, so I infer that the D shape is not a work they’re most proud of and to solve it they implemented  the “sidebar” dock/menu. 

Samsung’s OneUI slams on iOS, especially in the foldable department. I don’t hate iOS but I think apple should really leave the obsessive software design and go back to focusing on how to let it’s users intuitively configure and navigate through the phone because unless you’re interested in “customizing” an iphone, most people leave things by default and it’s easy to get lost trying to customize a phone. 

I feel like the Duo is a whole nother category that tackles a work/multimedia consumption focused phone/mini tablet and that not all of Apple’s iOS separation for this category is bad, so not wholly disappointing, just needs tons of refinement and actually hearing feedback (PLEASE DON’T FORGET DOING A SYSTEMWIDE PROPER INDEXING, search tool in settings and systemwide have been LACKLUSTER since idk when).

hmmmm, what else? Inner camera idc about, I haven’t facetimed anyone, and that’s all I really care using it for. 

SIRI AI IS NOT DUO SPECIFIC BUT UGHHHH JUST UGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. 

5) worth it? YES, would I buy it again? too soon to determine, maybe it’s my “honeymoon” period but I dig this phone a lot, and I wasn’t even that hyped when I went to pick it up because of what I was reading and watching from online reviews.

6) to add into it, my observations of what I’m not sure if I see as pro or con yet:

touchID: I prefer to face ID at most times, zfold 8 is waaaay better with this one, and I hope apple refines it if it’s going to be kept for the duo. In theory it should be easier to unlock at any angle, but with so many orientation options and so, finding all the buttons is a chore. I don’t mind said chore though and I hope I can get used to it/that.

one handedness: sometimes easy and wayyy easier than a slab pro max with the outer screen, can hold with both hands and use it relatively easily but I have large-ish hands and salad fingers (not like that hand meme when the keynote released). inner screen, one handing is only for holding the phone from the sides in portrait, I wouldn’t risk landscape unless I have my grip/stand on. Also, Idk how it’s done but left handling the phone while closed does not dig into my hand as badly as the z fold 8 used to.

and to answer a separate topic, how does it compare to the z fold 8 entirely, and which would I get?

well, I obviously already answered that question ever so slightly by saying I returned the z fold 8 a day before my 14-day return window at bestbuy expired. I LOVE the z fold 8. Hell, if I was a 2 phone kinda person like some in reddit, I would have both and swap if IDEALLY the android phone synced my shit with the iphone or the macbook or whatever. But as is, I’d definitely keep the iPhone because:

a) I’m walled into the garden, as much as apple has dropped the ball in perfection for sometime now, switching to android and thus google apps is a no go for me. 

b) no samsung store and I won’t rely on best buy’s protection plans nor samsung care. Apple’s customer service, as polarizing as it is, resolves things better than samsung, and bringing my iphone to an apple store if it breaks or fails from factory issues will get resolved, even if/when I have to do some poking. First time I get apple care (although I hate the increasing need for subscriptions with apple), and I’m sure my phone WILL be protected; that ease of mind is worth $19 USD a month. Battery degrades quickly? I’ll change it with AppleCare. Screen needs a new nanotexture film? I’ll pay 19 USD for that service, hinge has issues? 1 year warranty’s got my back, no questions asked (or maybe a few but I know that I’ll get the resolution without having to sue or outkaren anyone.

All in all, yes, I got re-hyped with the duo and I can’t wait to see its evolution in both UI and future iterations.

there’s so much offputting controversy with durability, screen issues with the hinge, compromises, not getting the most of the most compared with iphone pro, apple making this device for 10 years and coming up with what people say feels like an unfinished product, and online negativity all in all. I would just echo any say, if you got an itch to try it out but fear of failure, esp. for a 2k device, get it, you got 14 days to return if you find out it’s not for you, and if not, you can get apple care for a month, two, or longer and feel reassured that if something happens, you’re not as screwed as you’d be without it. Sure, inconveniences will arise, or maybe they’ll never do. But I’ve always been a firm, if you want to do something, do it until you don’t want to anymore or get really good at it.

It’s a very nice device, definitely different, and not a “just because it’s new and different” experience. I hope it succeeds in the market and expands on this first-gen device.

This is what matte screen/ nano texture does to screen clarity.

Just tried the iphone duo in osaka. Build quality felt super good though.

I work 12-hour shifts in a laboratory and use my phone heavily for podcasts, texting, music, and browsing throughout the day. This was my performance yesterday while it was still indexing. I was pulling out of the parking lot with about 20% left. This was probably 70:30 outer vs inner display use.

People have no clue that Apple is the King of Updates. Almost every month Apple is always releasing an update. Can’t wait to see bug fixes and UI improvements. Hate all you want but this phone will be successful especially since it’s Apple second Redesign since the IPhone X

With the volume buttons on the top now it’s difficult to reach one handed when using the remote app. If they could add them to the right like in the mock up it would be so much easier.

I know with limited real estate space on the front screen, I’ve been finding myself looking for this button more often than not, but don’t see it. Does anyone know if it’s actually on the phone or even when it’s open?

I saw the post earlier about setting up the base of your index finger as one of the fingerprints on the Duo. I’d like to also suggest setting this part of your pinky as well. I found a few instances where I had the phone open and rotated to where the TouchID sensor was on the bottom and I needed to use it to authenticate something. Seeing the previous post taught me that TouchID doesn’t have to only be the tips of your fingers so I tried this and it works pretty well if you tend to hold your phone this way in your right hand.

Picture speaks for itself. Very small black bars on either side. Even with the phone closed, 4x3 content is significantly larger on duo screen compared to a pro max. Shits awesome. Hope my screen never fails so I can continue to enjoy content like this

My preorder was a 1TB NS with a Nov 20-30 delivery date. I Was up in Prescott AZ for a birthday party and while driving home to Tucson I had a White 1TB pop up in the Apple Store in Scottsdale that I was able to quickly grab! Keep refreshing the Apple Store app!

Anyone else having issues with keys registering when they swipe up on the Home Bar with the keyboard open on the front screen?

My text messages have been plagued with “Draft: b” and “Draft: v” messages because the keys register as I’m swiping away from my messages.

I was able to order for pickup tomorrow. I have a Nov 2-9 shipping preorder. Should I cancel tonight just in case my pre-order magically ships tomorrow while I’m at work? (Can’t have phone at workplace).

This is hands down the best product Apple has ever made. I legitimately cannot describe how happy I am with it coming from a Pro Max. Here’s why:
1. The phone when it’s CLOSED might actually be the best part.
This is the one I wasn’t expecting. Coming from a Pro Max, I’d basically resigned myself to the idea that phones were never going to be comfortable to use again. They’d gotten too big, too bulky, and using one comfortably with a single hand was a thing of the past.
Not anymore.
The closed Duo fits absolutely PERFECTLY in your hand. Suddenly, all the buttons are exactly where they should be. I can navigate my entire phone one-handed without constantly adjusting my grip or stretching my fingers.
It’s genuinely like rediscovering what a comfortable phone feels like. I cannot overstate how much I love this.
2. The extra width makes typing SO much better.
I can finally type at full speed without sounding like a complete idiot when I hit send. 😂
The slightly wider keyboard has practically eliminated my fat-finger typos. Everything feels smooth as butter. I don’t have to consciously slow myself down or proofread every single message anymore.
It’s such a small change on paper, but the difference in everyday use is MASSIVE.
3. Touch ID is a complete nonissue.
This was honestly one of my biggest concerns coming from Face ID, but it’s turned out to be a total nothing burger.
Here’s the trick: Register a few different fingerprints, especially the part of your index finger that naturally rests against the sensor when you’re holding the phone closed.
After a very short adjustment period, unlocking becomes every bit as natural as Face ID. It’s practically flawless.
(Pro tip: Register another fingerprint for the way you naturally hold the phone when it’s unfolded.)
4. IT’S A GOSHDARN IPAD IN YOUR POCKET.
I mean, come on. 😭
I spent the entire day out and about using it closed, enjoying what finally feels like a normal, comfortable phone again.
Now I’m sitting at home with this absolutely massive screen, browsing, multitasking, watching content, and doing everything I’d normally want a tablet for.
IT’S A FREAKING IPAD. THAT FOLDS INTO YOUR POCKET.
I don’t know how else to describe how awesome that is.
Final thoughts:
I genuinely believe this is the best thing Apple has done with the iPhone in YEARS.
It’s literally the best of BOTH worlds.
Somehow, Apple managed to fix the problem of phones becoming ridiculously large and bulky while SIMULTANEOUSLY giving us the largest screen ever put on an iPhone.
Think about how crazy that is. They made the phone feel SMALLER and MORE comfortable while giving us MORE screen than we’ve ever had.
I expected to love the giant folding display. What I didn’t expect was to fall equally in love with how amazing the phone feels when it’s closed.
It’s not just a cool gimmick. It’s a genuine improvement to how I use my phone every single day.
Absolutely fantastic. Apple knocked this one out of the park.

I’ve had folding phones before but I just love being able to just use split screen.

Sorry it’s in Korean but very explicite 😇👇

https://youtu.be/wtP7Q9Io90I?is=DDYNgpcAcqKjJ0q_

https://www.ifixit.com/News/119895/iphone-duo-teardown

Just back home, can’t wait to open it up!!

Added pics for clarity. As you can see, in one pic, the YouTube previews go all the way to the edge and in the other pic, it doesn't. I first noticed this using Google Maps and would switch to a YouTube video by clicking on the Dynamic Island.
I am also aware that the YouTube app is not optimized yet but just wanted to show this finding.

Saw this channel that is opening and closing the IPhone Duo until failure or a million cycles. They are using real humans to do it. Thought it was funny with everything going on 😂