I can finally talk about my thoughts on the iPhone Duo:
Pros:
The Duo feels like the most task-oriented iPhone ever. That's because the outer display is small, so when I'm doing anything substantial, I need to commit to opening it and using the inner display. Even if that's just reading an article or reading social media, I find myself focused on a single task, then closing the phone and putting it away when I'm done. The wide aspect ratio when closed also generally has me typing with two hands, which contributes to this feeling, though it can be tough if your other hand is full.
In this way it feels more like a single-task gadget or PDA, and less of a thing I find myself unlocking and locking nonstop. I very much enjoy this aspect of it. It feels like the most gadgety gadget I've used in a while.
Battery life is really, really good. This is probably ALSO a function of above and also the surprisingly large 4,883mAh cell, but I'm always shocked when I still have 90% battery remaining after a few hours off the charger.
Optimized apps are great, especially on the inner display. Apps like Slack are pretty much just the desktop app, and I love that. I can't wait to get a portable keyboard and mouse and start writing on this thing, especially if Google Docs gets optimized like this. This also makes me really excited for the accessory ecosystem that will pop up around this device in general.
The inner display is fantastic. I really like the matte display and content looks great in it. I also multitask with a couple of apps to copy information from one to the other pretty frequently and it's really nice.
Cons:
The primary camera is definitely not as good as the Pro. There is sort of the classic small-sensor oversharpening etc you'd see on much older iPhones, and I do miss the capabilities of the 18 Pro quite a bit on this front. There's also no ProRAW or ProRes, which is disappointing for a $2,000 device. You can still get good photos and videos out of it for sure, but it's not quite the "wow" I experienced from the 18 Pro, as to be expected.
I also really really miss the telephoto camera on this phone, and hope Apple will add it next year, especially considering Xiaomi has it on the 18 Pro Fold.
Unoptimized apps are a bit rough, and I'll need to look for alternatives for apps that I know won't be optimized. Apps like my mobile browser of choice, Arc Search definitely won't be updated. When you're in the inner display you can scale things up and they work, but they do look silly. Safari is a good example of one that works well, as, like Slack, it gives you a similar desktop app experience.
The inner Facetime Camera is really bad for photos, but weirdly good for video? Facetimes actually look pretty good, and Apple tells me they have optimized its output for video. Still, I do wish the quality was higher for photos. I recommend the front camera for selfies. You can use the rear cameras for selfies and I've done this, but it's really hard to hold the phone when doing this.
TouchID works, but is so much more cumbersome than FaceID. From unlocking the phone to paying for things with Apple Pay, FaceID is just so much faster and more useful. I'm assuming they just haven't miniaturized the FaceID module on the z-axis enough yet, but I hope it comes in Gen 2.
Ultimately, I find this to be one of Apple's most fun and ambitious devices ever. But like any Gen 1 product, it comes with it's annoyances and frictions you'll have to be ok with, especially if you're comitting $2k+ to this thing. I will personally be sticking on a Duo as I love how it feels more like a task-driven PDA versus a generalized screen. I realize that's a bit woo-woo, but I genuinely have a healthier relationship with this device. I'll really miss the iPhone 18 Pro camera, but I'll probably go back to carrying around my dedicated point and shoot camera again, at least for now.
If you have any questions let me know.
Unfortunately y’all’s take isn’t doing so great but I completely respect your right to your opinion.
The telephoto is quite good in good light. You get nice natural separation and the color is consistent with the main sensor. It can still struggle a bit in lower light but so does the main sensor. It’s also definitely a little softer than the primary, as expected.
