Apple's first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, has received a mixed review from Axios writer Ina Fried, who noted its potential to reshape how people use their devices but said its $2,000 price was an insurmountable obstacle for her and that she could not recommend it broadly.
The Duo is Apple's entry into the foldable phone category, a market that already includes devices from Samsung and Google. But as Fried noted, Apple's arrival often redefines a category, and the Duo is already inspiring developer interest.
Fried said she spent a week testing the device, initially finding herself using the smaller outside display out of habit. Over time, she found reasons to unfold it. Watching sports was one of the clearest advantages. She also tried watching Netflix with the unfolded phone propped up like a tent. At the WNBA Finals, she used the Duo's ability to stand on its own to capture wide shots from a press-box ledge without a tripod.
The developer enthusiasm was a highlight. Early experiments include apps that simulate a vintage computer or a virtual cassette player, which Fried described as more entertaining than practical. She noted that such experimentation could lead to genuinely new ways of using a phone, but that today's novelties may not become hits.
The review highlighted drawbacks beyond price. The Duo lacks Face ID, and Fried occasionally fumbled for its side-mounted Touch ID sensor until she started using an Apple Watch to make unlocking easier. She also found herself instinctively reaching for her regular iPhone when she needed to get something done quickly.
Fried put the Duo away to see if she missed it. She did not find herself longing for it, and concluded that early buyers are paying a steep premium to be part of an experiment whose biggest rewards may still be years away.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Apple's entry into foldable phones could spur mainstream adoption, as it has with other product categories.
- At $2,000, the device represents a high-stakes experiment that tests consumer willingness to pay for new form factors.
- Independent developers' exploration of the folding screen may produce innovations that influence the next generation of mobile computing.
Background
Foldable smartphones existed before Apple, with Samsung and Google releasing models years earlier. Apple's iPhone Duo is priced at $2,000 and features a folding screen that can be used as a smaller external display or opened to a larger tablet-like size. The device can stand on its own for hands-free use, such as watching video or taking photos.
What to Watch
- The development of compelling software applications that leverage the folding form factor, which will determine whether the device becomes more than a niche experiment.
- Apple's future iterations and potential price reductions or feature additions (such as Face ID) that could improve the device's appeal.
- Consumer adoption rates, which will indicate whether the foldable smartphone category gains traction in the mainstream market.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 11 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedThe headline describes the Duo as a fascinating experiment whose price is hard to justify.Axios: “I tested Apple's $2,000 iPhone Duo. It's a fascinating experiment, but the price is hard to justify.”
- Not in the sourcesThe review is by Axios writer Ina Fried.Axios
- SupportedThe iPhone Duo is Apple's first foldable smartphone.Axios: “The most exciting thing about Apple's first foldable iPhone”
- SupportedFried's review of the Duo is mixed.Axios: “The answer, unsurprisingly, is a bit of both.”
- SupportedFried says the Duo's potential could reshape how people use their devices.Axios: “Already, it's inspiring developers to explore possibilities that could reshape how we use our devices.”
- SupportedFried says the $2,000 price is an insurmountable obstacle for her.Axios: “For all the fun I've had with the Duo, its price is an insurmountable obstacle. At $2,000, it's simply not a purchase I could justify for myself”
- SupportedFried says she could not recommend the Duo broadly.Axios: “much less recommend broadly.”
- SupportedThe foldable-phone market already includes devices from Samsung and Google.Axios: “Samsung, Google and others began making them years ago.”
- SupportedFried says Apple's arrival in a category has a way of reinventing it.Axios: “But Apple's arrival in a category has a way of reinventing it.”
- SupportedThe Duo is already inspiring developer interest.Axios: “Already, it's inspiring developers to explore possibilities that could reshape how we use our devices.”
- SupportedFried initially used the Duo's smaller outside display out of habit.Axios: “I found myself mostly using the smaller outside display. After years of conventional iPhones, it was a mix of instinct and muscle memory.”
- SupportedFried concludes that early buyers are paying a steep premium for an experiment whose biggest rewards may still be years away.Axios: “But early buyers are paying a steep premium to participate in an experiment whose biggest rewards may still be years away.”
