iPhone Duo review leaves some users second-guessing their preorders
“I canceled my iPhone Duo preorder.”
Image by Apple
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- Marques Brownlee praised the iPhone Duo’s display, hinge, battery life, and software animations.
- He criticized its weight, average camera, missing Face ID, and apps that are not yet optimized.
- Some users said the review convinced them to cancel or rethink their iPhone Duo preorders.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
Ahead of the iPhone Duo’s launch, buyers are looking for every possible insight into what to expect from a $2,000 phone, down to every tiny flaw.
Apple’s iPhone Duo is scheduled to go on sale on October 23rd. Marques Brownlee, a tech YouTuber with 21 million followers, spent a week testing the company’s first foldable smartphone.
His review, which, at the time of writing, has around 7 million views, not only revealed insights into the $2,000 phone but also left the internet divided over whether it's worth the hype.
iPhone Duo pros and cons
The tech reviewer shared that among the things he enjoyed about the iPhone Duo were its display, “solid” hinge, battery life, and software animations.
Brownlee also identified a few cons he suggested that Apple should address.
The YouTuber said the phone felt “significant and solid,” but was also heavier than Samsung’s passport-like Galaxy Z Fold8 foldable.
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When it comes to its camera, the reviewer noted that “it’s an okay camera.” However, it doesn’t include Pro camera features, which might be disappointing for those who use an iPhone for camera work.
Brownlee called the iPhone Duo apps its “biggest downside right now” because they aren't yet optimized for this format. The apps mentioned were Spotify, Discord, X, and Google Maps.
The reviewer also noted that the new smartphone no longer has Face ID, which has been replaced by a fingerprint reader.
Some users are canceling their orders
While the review both praised and criticized certain aspects of the smartphone, it seemed sufficient to make some users change their minds about the device entirely.
“I canceled my iPhone Duo preorder,” Daniel Berk, the host of the Moneywise podcast, shared on X.
The user later shared that after canceling the order, he got an iPhone 18 Pro Max.
“[...] I will upgrade whenever I want to the Duo, but have a great phone until then. Easy decision,” shared Berk.
“You changed my mind. Definitely not getting the Duo. This is diabolical,” wrote former Product Director at Shopify Robleh Jama.
iPhone Duo has recently undergone a 10,000-fold test, which revealed that its screen crease becomes deeper and much more visible.
Not all is lost?
“The iPhone Duo reviews are some of the most brutal I've seen from an Apple product in a long time (Vision Pro aside),” tech journalist Mark Gurman said on X.
Nevertheless, he hinted that several previous Apple smartphones were also met with criticism, adding that the app optimization issue should be “resolved in weeks.”
The iPhone Duo was unveiled at the beginning of September, together with the iPhone 18 lineup.
While users can already purchase the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone Duo buyers face some limitations.
The company allows only 2 foldables per person to avoid scalping.
However, some also suspect this could be due to Apple experiencing an iPhone Duo shortage and backorders.
