Oct 22, 2026 · 1h 3m
Apple’s foldable iPhone impresses despite first-generation compromises
iPhone Duo Review + Apple’s Pre-Order Blunder With Andru Edwards
The review tests whether Apple’s first foldable is practical enough for everyday use while exposing the supply constraints behind its chaotic launch.
- 1The iPhone Duo delivers a compelling foldable design, but software compatibility and durability remain first-generation concerns.
- 2Its cameras, battery life, thermals, and multitasking are capable without matching the iPhone Pro’s strongest advantages.
- 3Apple’s constrained production and China-only assembly helped turn strong demand into rapidly slipping pre-order delivery estimates.
Don't miss
Andru’s weeklong review crystallizes the Duo’s appeal and limitations: multitasking feels genuinely useful, but uneven app support and first-generation compromises remain visible.
The brief
Mark Gurman and Andru Edwards examine Apple’s first foldable iPhone, asking whether its unusual form factor improves everyday computing or mainly introduces new compromises.
The Duo’s multiple orientations, hinge-aware software, side-by-side apps, floating video, and large inner display make multitasking feel purposeful, while app compatibility remains uneven.
Andru finds capable cameras, battery life, speakers, and heat management, but the device lacks the iPhone Pro’s telephoto reach and still feels unmistakably first-generation.
The review’s broader tension is between hardware ambition and polish: the Duo is impressive in ordinary use, yet its inner display, software support, and case choices demand compromises.
Apple’s pre-order rollout exposed the other side of the product: delayed access, rapidly slipping delivery estimates, limited initial production, and intense demand for a new iPhone form factor.
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