Apple hawks $2k folding fondleslab

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Another new form factor for devs to adapt to

It’s been a long time since Apple introduced a truly new product. The world finally got one today in the form of the folding iPhone Duo, and while it's new for Apple, it's not new for the industry. Nonetheless, Apple is once again hoping to validate a mostly moribund market as it did with tablets and smartwatches – folding phones only made up 1.6% of total smartphone sales last year, according to Counterpoint Research.

Apple announced the iPhone Duo – did no one check the list of cursed gadget brands? – on Wednesday during new CEO John Ternus’ first crack at an Apple keynote, and it's a foldable iPhone. Given its aspect ratio, it’s probably more apt to call it an iPadphone, though. 

Ternus criticized the shape of other foldable smartphones, likening them to “just two phones strapped together” rather than a purpose-built foldable device. The Duo is intended to break that mold, though it was a little hard to tell from the event.

Folded, the Duo has an oddly square shape that Apple described as being “passport sized,” with a 5.4” screen. When opened, the Duo has a 7.6” screen – not much smaller than the 8.3” screen on the iPad mini, which in turn is just a bit smaller than Huawei’s massive 10.3” tri-fold device. 

Speaking of screens, anyone who’s had an opportunity to play with a foldable smartphone knows their durability is abysmal. The original Samsung foldables were so soft they could be scored with a fingernail, and while successive models have improved, they still aren’t as hard as regular glass. 

Apple had plenty of platitudes to deliver about the screen, of course: Its many layers use a “visco-elastic adhesive” to allow components to slide against each other so everything folds more easily, and there’s a titanium plate at the back to keep the durability up, too. 

But what of its hardness? Not a word. 

As for the hinge – the bane of every foldable smartphone since the first Galaxy Fold hit shelves in 2019 – Apple claims that “over 100 tiny precision components” and the assistance of AI will ensure it's a tight and reliable fit. It’s worth pointing out, however, that Samsung has released eight generations of Galaxy Fold, and iFixit says the hinge is still its weakness.

The Galaxy Fold 8, mind you, is only rated at IP48, meaning it’s not completely dust-tight, while the iPhone Duo claims to be IP68, meaning it’s completely dust-tight, though we’d caution waiting to see what the initial teardowns determine before deciding if that’s accurate. 

Either way, if you’re going to actually spring for this $1,999 phone you’d better plan to get an Apple Care plan, too. 

Unnecessary introductions

There’s another big sticking point about the iPhone Duo that needs to be addressed, and that’s what it does with iOS. 

Apple apparently knows that such a wide device is going to make using the iOS dock, and other interface buttons less practical, so it’s decided to move all of them to the right side of the iOS screen. Navigation buttons, app interfaces, and everything one would use to get around is now located on the side to, in Apple’s words, “maximize vertical space for content.” 

That’s all well and good, but it means developers need to make arrangements for the iPhone Duo. Apple knows this, as it made sure to mention a new API that developers can use to adapt their apps.

For what it's worth, a revamped version of Siri launching this fall has also required developers to adapt to its presence on Apple devices. According to the New York Times, that hasn’t been going too well, with many big developers yet to make the necessary changes to enable support for Apple Intelligence and its interface with Siri in their apps. That’s for a feature that extends across Apple’s ecosystem, mind you. The Duo is one single device.

The Duo also only has two cameras to the iPhone Pro series’ triple lenses, and takes a step backwards by ditching FaceID for a TouchID button embedded in the side button. 

Apple tends to have a wait-and-see approach to new technology, joining the game late after the competition has had a chance to flounder around and make bad decisions with early models. It’s not clear whether the Duo will be a prime example of that philosophy in action, or whether it’ll join Apple’s other recent developments, like the Vision Pro, in relative obscurity.

Ternus and company at least chose a good name if the product withers: No one remembers Microsoft’s Duo either. ®