DE — heise online

iPhone Duo review: It works!

DevicesOctober 28, 20261 min read

Apple has entered the foldable phone market with the iPhone Duo. It is a small phone that opens into a thin, almost-iPad screen that works with the Apple Pencil.

What happened

heise tested Apple's first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo. It has a small outer screen and a much bigger inner screen. Unlike other foldable phones that just join two large screens, Apple made the Duo work more like a tablet when opened. The reviewer checks whether the hinge, screens, multitasking, cameras, battery and accessories are good enough for daily use.

Key facts

The body is made of polished titanium.
The hinge has more than 100 parts, according to Apple.
The hinge holds both screens in place even when the phone is half open.
Opening the phone takes some force. You can do it with two fingers, but one-handed opening is awkward.

Some background

Foldable phones have screens that bend or fold so the device can be small when closed and large when open. Apple is late to this market. The company wants its first model to be a strong one, not just a copy of other foldables.

Why it matters

The Duo shows how Apple plans to mix a phone and a tablet into one device. If it works well, it could give people more space for work and videos without carrying two devices. The article says the Pencil support works well, but it is more limited than on an iPad. Folding parts are complex, and repair costs are high, which may matter for buyers.

What to watch

How well the hinge and screens last over time.
How many apps and features support the bigger screen and Pencil.
The real repair prices, which the article calls high.
Whether buyers accept the price and trade-offs compared with other foldables.

Glossary

Apple Pencil: A digital pen made by Apple that writes and draws on compatible iPad and iPhone screens.

Some iPhone Duo screens are already failing, Apple says only a "small number" are affected

Some early buyers of the $2,000 iPhone Duo, Apple's first foldable phone, report that its internal OLED display is failing within hours or minutes of use, with bright lines and dead pixels appearing near the crease. Apple says only a "small number" of devices are affected, and the reported fix is replacing the screen, which reportedly costs half as much as the phone. iFixit has torn down a unit and is examining the hinge cable as a possible cause, but no official explanation has been given.

DevicesArs TechnicaOct 27

Apple iPhone Duo review: Two screens, two experiences, two thousand dollars

Ars Technica's review finds the $1,999-and-up iPhone Duo to be Apple's biggest iPhone change in years, with a crease that is nearly invisible when unfolded. The reviewer calls it surprisingly good as a small iPad but says they cannot think of a way they prefer it to a regular iPhone, citing a squat, cramped phone mode and a learning curve. Overall, they describe it as technically impressive but not always enjoyable to use.

DevicesVnExpressOct 27

Apple Upgrades iMac and 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 Chip

Apple has updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro and iMac with its new M6 chip, its first processor built on a 2 nm architecture, while keeping the same designs and pricing as the M5 generation. The M6 features two more cores than the M5, including the first Apple chip with all three CPU core types, and Apple says it offers the fastest single-thread performance in the world. The 14-inch MacBook Pro is rated for 24 hours of battery life, and the M6 iMac delivers double the graphics performance and five times the on-device AI performance of its M4 predecessor.

DevicesThe VergeOct 27

We’ve had touchscreen laptops for years. Can Apple make them better?

Apple is expected to announce a touchscreen MacBook at its "Pro and Tell" event, reversing its long-standing opposition to touchscreen laptops. Rumors suggest the MacBook Pro will get an OLED display, a Dynamic Island-style webcam cutout, and a thinner, lighter chassis, though the author worries about performance trade-offs and higher prices. The article questions whether Apple will keep a conventional clamshell design or add more flexible hinge options.