What It’s Like to Use the iPhone Duo, Apple’s Biggest Change to the iPhone in Its History

The iPhone is getting the biggest change in its nearly 20-year history: a screen that can bend in half.

Apple on Wednesday announced the iPhone Duo, the company’s first foldable smartphone, signaling a major revamp of its most important product. Based on my limited time using the phone, it’s clear that Apple is thinking about how a foldable phone could enable people to use their phone differently – like as a bedside clock for example.

The phone has a screen on the outside and opens up to reveal a larger display inside, with cameras on the back, front and inside. It starts at $1,999 and launches on October 23.

Apple is hardly blazing a new path with the Duo. Phone makers like Samsung, Huawei and Motorola have been selling foldable phones for years, though such devices only account for a sliver of global smartphone sales. Apple’s entry into the market is expected to thrust foldable phones into the spotlight, potentially giving them mainstream appeal beyond their early-adopter audience.

Apple CEO John Ternus said at a company event that the iPhone Duo “will redefine the experience of using a foldable phone.”

Whether the iPhone Duo lives up to that claim will depend on if consumers want to spend nearly $2,000 on a phone primarily because it can fold in half.

Many of its most marketed features make the phone seamless to use, based on my limited time using the device. But it’s unclear whether these features will convince people to give up their non-folding phones.

A new type of screen for the iPhone

The new device is about the size and shape of a passport, and Apple claims it’s the thinnest iPhone ever when the phone is unfolded. The front screen is 5.4 inches, while the inside display is 7.6 inches.

The inner screen is about the size of an iPad Mini. The screen also has a matte texture that reduces glare and doesn’t seem to easily smudge. Most importantly, the crease is barely visible and you can’t feel it when running your finger across the display.

That’s critical because early foldable phones from Samsung and other companies had very noticeable creases, which made them unappealing to some consumers. However, Samsung and other Android device makers have since changed that, and the latest Galaxy Z Fold 8 has also evolved to become exceptionally thin.

Software that shifts with the phone

The iPhone Duo’s software is an important part of Apple’s strategy. The company emphasized how the software will adjust its position depending on how the phone is being used. When the phone is partially folded, for example, it will automatically slide app content to either side of the screen.

This was particularly noticeable when watching a video on the inner screen. As I opened the phone, a Netflix show kept playing while it expanded to fit the larger screen without skipping a beat. Similarly, apps parted in the middle to fit either side of the screen when I slightly folded the phone so that it was shaped like an open book.

You can also use both cameras at the same time during FaceTime calls, and the outer display can be used to preview shots. Apps work in split-screen mode, so you can use multiple apps on the bigger screen at once. Samsung and Google have launched similar features for their foldable phones.

Key to Apple’s future

Apple has faced pressure to launch a new hit product after recent efforts like the Apple Vision Pro headset and last year’s iPhone Air failed to resonate with consumers.

The iPhone is Apple’s most profitable product, generating more than half its revenue. But the device has mostly remained the same over the past two decades, aside from gaining larger screens, better cameras and more advanced processors.

The Duo’s nuances – including the way the software makes adjustments when the display folds in different positions – could be critical for its success. That approach once worked for the iPad and Apple Watch: Apple developed specific software and operating systems to prevent them from feeling like enlarged or shrunken-down versions of the iPhone.

For example, the iPhone Duo has a feature called Standby that essentially turns its cover screen into a bedside clock or a photo frame when the phone is locked and propped up like a tent.

Apple already offers this feature on non-folding iPhones, but those devices must be plugged in and propped up on their side. But this mode is much easier to use on a foldable phone that can stand on its own, potentially allowing users to use the iPhone Duo while it’s resting on their desk.

This convenience factor comes into play as the company faces pressure to develop new AI devices. Ternus, Apple’s new CEO, outlined why he believes the iPhone is the ultimate personal computer for artificial intelligence on Wednesday.

It’s clear that Apple hopes an iPhone that can be used in new ways, especially with AI, could help stave off those pressures.

Source: edition.cnn.com