Key Points
- The Wall Street Journal reviewed Apple's $1,999 folding iPhone Duo, arriving Oct. 23, after nearly a week of testing.
- The device pairs a 5.4-inch exterior screen with a 7.6-inch inner display, close to an iPad Mini.
- Reviewer concluded the hardware and software need another generation before the price is justified.
The latest:
Apple’s first folding phone delivers on the appeal of a pocketable tablet but not yet on the productivity promised by its $1,999 price, according to a Wall Street Journal review by Nicole Nguyen. After nearly a week of testing, the reviewer concluded the Duo needs a generation or two of hardware and software refinement. The device goes on sale Oct. 23.
Details:
- The design: The Duo is shaped like a passport, with a 5.4-inch exterior screen that opens like a book onto a 7.6-inch inner display — two-thirds of an inch smaller than an iPad Mini. The nano-texture coating cuts glare and hides the fold crease but needs a microfiber cloth to clean.
- The weight problem: The reviewer found the Duo wider, thicker and heavier than a Pro iPhone, and heavier than competing foldables. One-handed use left her hand hurting after extended sessions, with her thumb unable to reach the camera flash toggle or the letter A on the keyboard.
- Apple’s response: An Apple spokesman pointed to the titanium frame for durability, noting rival folding models use lighter aluminum. The company also shifted the dock and common controls to the right side of the screen to improve reach — a choice that disadvantages left-handed users.
- Productivity gaps: The Duo runs two apps side by side, but opening a second Safari tab in split view is harder than the iPad’s drag and drop. The iPad’s thumb gesture for splitting the keyboard does not work and sits buried in a menu. Physical keyboards work, trackpads and mice do not.
- App support: Slack, Instagram, Netflix, ChatGPT and Apple’s own apps are optimized for the larger inner screen. A Google spokesman confirmed Gmail, Docs, Chrome, YouTube, Google Meet and Maps will support the Duo at launch, but gave no timeline for Google Photos.
- Camera trade-offs: The Duo previews the rear camera on the outer screen so subjects can frame themselves, but offers only 2X zoom against the iPhone 18 Pro’s 8X, plus a lower-resolution selfie camera. The reviewer said that falls short for parents and pet owners.
- Biometrics and battery: Touch ID is built into the power button, replacing Face ID, and there is no programmable action button. Battery held 10% to 20% at 11:30 p.m. after a full day, though Apple rates the Duo at 24 hours of typical use versus 30 for the 18 Pro Max.
- Coming updates: Apple says more functionality arrives later this year, including Apple Pencil support and a Duo-specific Reachability that shifts screen contents left or right rather than down. Shipping delays now stretch into the new year, pushing most early adopters past launch.
- The market: Foldables account for just 2% of the global phone market, according to Counterpoint Research, with China representing more than a third of those sales. The reviewer expects Apple to expand that market through its pull with higher-spending buyers.
Background:
Folding phones have been on the market for more than seven years, led by Samsung and Google. Apple arrives late, as it often has, with the Duo as its first entry in the category.
Between the lines:
The review’s core judgment is that the Duo sells a small tablet in a pocket rather than a more capable iPhone, and that $800 over an iPhone 18 Pro is hard to defend on that basis. The missing trackpad support and the buried iPad gestures point to software that has not caught up with the hardware — a gap the reviewer expects later updates to narrow.
What’s next
The Duo reaches buyers Oct. 23. Apple Pencil support and the reworked Reachability are due later this year, and shipping delays into the new year may mean better app support by the time most orders arrive.
