As a daily Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 user, Apple's first foldable impressed me more than expected – here's why
The iPhone Duo looks like a winner – albeit a pricey one
Apple's mega-keynote this week – the first for the company's new CEO, John Ternus – saw the Cupertino company reveal its first-ever foldable, the iPhone Duo.
As someone who's seen and tested the majority of the bbest folding phones ever made over the past seven-or-so years, I must say I was even more impressed with Apple's first foray than I'd expected.
I use the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 every day, by choice, as I really love the passport-sized foldable and everything it offers – even the wider-than-average format has made other phones feel too tall and narrow for me now.
That "passport" scale is exactly what the iPhone Duo opts for, too, as both it and the Samsung house a 5.4-inch external and 7.6-inch internal foldable display. They're very similar, therefore, yet by no means the same.
Apple's first attempt in this space, however, highlighted some particularly stand-out features for me – and left some lingering questions, too – that are key points I wish the wider Android market would note down to further improve in generations to come.
1. Titanium and ceramic
One of the big problems that foldables have faced is inherent in their very designs: that folding part of the display has to sit over a hinge, which 'dips' by a marginal amount and, further emphasised by it being the bending point, leaves a visible 'crease' to the centre of the display.
Now, no folding phone has countered this issue entirely, but there have been various positive steps towards mitigating it. The current best is the Galaxy Z Fold 8, which uses a titanium plate for rigidity – except Samsung's 'Flex Titanium' solution is etched so it can fold, benefitting the full display.
Outside of the UK and USA there's the Oppo Find N6, which arguably has an even better solution – microscopic 3D-printed relief, delivered per phone, to offset the dip between hinge and display for the flattest solution going.
Now, Apple has gone with a multitude of solutions. It, too, uses AI to map the hinge per product, while applying support ribs for added stiffness – and ceramic fibres that can bend are used to ensure strong antenna connectivity.
It, too, uses a titanium base plate for rigidity. But all of these layers have been applied in a way that unfold similar to a spine-bound book, giving flexibility yet simultaneous rigidity. All of which suggests Apple's very first folding phone attempt will be up there among the best.
2. Stylus support incoming
Controversially, Samsung sacked off any stylus compatibility with its folding devices a couple of generations ago. It meant no need for the additional layer required in the screen for such functionality.
Apple, however, declared its intent for the absolute opposite: its Pencil (with USB-C) stylus will be compatible with the iPhone Duo – on both its external and internal displays.
While that's not a feature that I'd rush to use personally, I suspect there are plenty who will revel in the opportunity – especially when using the internal display. That's one feature that bridges the gap between iPhone and iPad in this Duo design.
Other Android makers do offer stylus compatibility in their foldables, mind, with Honor's Magic V6 one prime example. Buy the brand's Magic Pen and you'll have the feature available right now – no time to wait, per Apple's "later this year" feature.
3. Software continuity
This could be the biggest one of the lot, though. Much as I love my Galaxy Z Fold 8's dual-screen formats, switching between those can cause some hiccups with loaded apps.
Now, I'm not saying iOS will solve that for third-party apps. I suspect you'll still have to reload your game app if you wish to switch between displays mid-session, for example, unless a specific version is made for the iPhone Duo.
That has already begun, though, with Apple showing off examples in Zoom, Slack, Netflix and more to benefit from the larger display. I suspect that's only the beginning, given Apple's considerable market share, so watch this space.
That said, Samsung's One UI 9 setup on the Z Fold 8 is solid. The split-screen and multi-window functionality works well, it's just greater fluidity with all apps and scaling that would be top of my wishlist.
4. There's an under-display camera
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 has a selfie camera on the external display and another on the internal folding display. So does the iPhone Duo – just that its latter one you can't see clearly all of the time, as it's an under-display solution.
I suspect this will divide the crowds when they get to see it in person, mind, as under-display options have been used in various Android devices for many years. If anything, they've largely ceased to be used – because the mottled 'half resolution' pattern over the camera area can look a little distracting.
In the iPhone Duo, however, I can see the benefit in having that full and uninterrupted display. You really won't notice it much when watching media, for example, and given the size of the punch-hole one on the front of the device, avoiding a second one seems like a savvy solution.
5. But it's not all perfect
For all those positives, however, there are some undeniable downsides and lingering questions around Apple's first foldable.
Heavily rounded corners
As you can see from the device's front-on silhouette, the top and bottom right corners are heavily rounded. That may cause issues in some apps – similar to with Google's Pixel phones – in blocking visibility.
Camera position
While I've highlighted the potential positives of the under-display camera, it's not all golden – the off-centre position and lack of resolution information (I'd wager 'low', therefore) are points against this solution.
The rear cameras may also fall into a classic 'problem' that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 experiences: 'desk wobble'. Placed flat on a surface and the rear protrusion means the phone will rock about when you use it not in hand – and the Duo seems to present a similar potential trouble.
eSIM won't suit all
When Apple announced it was eSIM worldwide – a first for any smartphone device that I can recall – I let out a little gasp. It's futuristic, sure, and it allows for more battery and component space within.
But eSIM just won't suit everyone at this stage. Progressing from physical to virtual is happening at pace, but this bold move will be an irksome switch-over for others.
Asking price is huge
This one is fairly obvious: but the iPhone Duo is horribly expensive. It looks amazing, it looks 'worth it' – however you wish to gauge that – but it's a lot of money.
The £/$1,999 starting price for the 256GB model is considerably more than the Galaxy Z Fold 8's £/$1,699 price. Both are a lot of money, no doubt, but Apple wants almost 18% more cash for its Duo to be in your pocket.
