Unfolding the Quirks: 7 Hidden Details in the iPhone Duo

Apple’s new iPhone Duo is arguably the biggest thing to happen to the iPhone in, well, possibly ever. While one could argue that the iPhone X was a pretty big game-changer in its own right, the iPhone Duo breaks entirely new ground — especially for Apple.

While the company is obviously really late to the foldable game, it’s not exactly stepping in meekly. The iPhone Duo is Apple’s very opinionated take on what a foldable smartphone should be, and that alone makes it stand out from the rest of the Android pack. That’s not to say there won’t be plenty of room to debate whether the other options are better in their own ways, but it’s hard to argue that the iPhone Duo is merely derivative.

However, all that being said, the iPhone Duo follows in the footsteps of last year’s iPhone Air by being an unusual hybrid of features. There were several reasons why we never thought there was even a chance Apple would go with “iPhone Ultra” as the name, but high on the list is the fact that the only thing that’s really “ultra’ about the new foldable is its price tag.

At least the iPhone Air was priced in between the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro. Apple’s sleek, museum-piece iPhone was a study in compromises, but the price made it obvious that you were paying for something that was less capable than Apple’s flagship models. The iPhone Duo is more expensive because of its ambitious engineering and large screen, but when it comes to raw specs, the iPhone 18 Pro models still beat it out — especially when it comes to the cameras.

It only takes a glance to realize that the iPhone Duo has a lesser camera system, with only Main and Ultra Wide lenses that put it roughly on par with the iPhone 17. The sensor may have been slightly upgraded, and the A20 Pro chip offers a better image processing pipeline that delivers support for new Photographic Styles, but for the most part you’re getting Apple’s standard two-camera system.

However, once we move beyond the cameras and obvious design differences, there are a few other interesting little surprises — both positive and negative — that make the iPhone Duo a horse of a slightly different color from both the traditional iPhone models and its foldable rivals. Read on for 7 surprising things about Appel’s new iPhone Duo.