Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Ever since the original Samsung Galaxy Z Fold was launched, all I’ve wanted is a foldable iPhone. All along I’ve said that once Apple releases one, I’ll be lined up on day one to buy it.
Release one Apple has; I don’t buy one.
The pre-order date came, and I even live-blogged how quickly they sold out, all while my Apple Card was firmly planted in my digital wallet. Something went off in my brain, and I decided this wasn’t the right time—or the right phone—for me.
Latest Videos FromTom the guide
Why the change of heart? At first I didn’t think much of it, but now that the dust has settled, I had the chance to look at seven reasons why I passed on the iPhone Duo. Alone, none are real deal breakers, but together they were enough to keep me on the phone for more than five years of waiting. At least for now.
$2,000 prize tag
This is the big, obvious reason to pass on the iPhone Duo. The phone starts at $1,999 for the base model and goes up from there. I currently have an iPhone 17 Pro Max. It’s hard to justify spending around $2,000 when I have a really good, one-year-old device.
Let’s be real here: the iPhone 17 Pro Max is still a fantastic phone. We gave it a near-perfect 4.5-star rating in our review, citing its durable design, stellar A19 Pro performance, fantastic 48MP 8x zoom camera, and more as reasons for the high score. And I agree with all of that after using it for a year, which makes it even harder to give up.
But I’ll be honest: even if I paid the $1,100 asking price for the iPhone 17 Pro Max out of pocket, I’d still struggle to pay nearly double for the iPhone Duo.
Let the early adopters handle the issues
Sure, Samsung has eight iterations of the Galaxy Z Fold, but Apple doesn’t. This is the company’s very first crack at a foldable phone, and there are bound to be some issues that crop up.
Could it be the durability of the folding screen? A problem with the external display? MagSafe bad? Trouble with iOS transitioning to a bigger screen?
Who knows?
But something will likely degrade the experience of the $2,000 foldable iPhone Duo, and I’ll let everyone else work through it and buy the Duo 2 next year when Apple has had time to iron out the kinks.
Waiting for more optimized apps
Apple will update its own apps and make them great on the iPhone Duo. It will likely add useful functionality that takes advantage of the larger screen. And we’ve already heard about optimized third-party apps like Slack and Netflix But there are millions of iPhone apps that need time to update, and I see a situation where many of them just look like stretched phone apps for a while.
Not sold on nano-texture finish
I’ll start by saying that I haven’t used the iPhone Duo yet. I only saw videos and talked to a few people who used the phone. And based on what I’ve seen and heard, I don’t think nano-texture was the right choice for such a large screen.
Sure, it cuts glare and minimizes glare, but it seems to do it at the expense of color vibrancy, which doesn’t sound optimal with a massive 7.6-inch display. We’ll see how it works in the real world as more people get their hands on it, but for now this is one of the main reasons I didn’t get it on day one. If it ends up being better than expected, I may come in a few months when the stock stabilizes, but for now I’ll hold off.
I like to zoom in on my camera phone
One of the most expensive phones to ever hit the market has no telephoto lens. Seriously? As most other phones move to push their cameras to the absolute limit, Apple has limited the Duo by not having any kind of telephoto lens.
Now this isn’t solely an Apple problem: the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 doesn’t have a telephoto lens either (presumably, the extra size required for a zoom lens is an issue in a foldable design), but I was really hoping Apple would push things forward by including one.
I like to zoom in on concerts, sporting events, and other faraway places, and not having that functionality on the camera that’s always in my pocket seems like a deal breaker.
I just don’t need a screen that big
This is a real clincher for me: I don’t need a big screen on my phone. I sat down and looked at my most used apps, and none of them would really see much benefit from a massive screen (which is the same reason my iPad collects dust while my iPhone and MacBook are in constant use).
I am not an artist. I don’t paint on my screen. I don’t take handwritten notes. I’m not looking to put my phone on the table to take selfies (I have a portable tripod if needed).
All the big selling points that made me think I wanted an iPhone Duo didn’t sell me on the phone when it came time to plunk down my hard-earned cash. Sorry, iPhone Duo, but I just don’t see how you fit into my life right now.
It is built like a brick
The iPhone Duo is not light. In fact, it weighs a hefty 8.96 ounces, making it the heaviest iPhone ever to hit the market. As the first iPhone with two screens, this is not surprising.
But I’d like to see the duo at least compete in the same weight class as Samsung’s foldable. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra comes in at 7.6 ounces, while the base Z Fold 8 weighs just 7.09 ounces. That’s a significant weight difference that can be very noticeable.
This isn’t a deal breaker for me – if it weren’t for the other factors, I would have set up a heavier device. But along with everything else, I think the deal is waiting for me next year.
follow Tom’s Guide to Google News in the add us as a preferred source to get our latest news, analysis and reviews in your feeds.