iPhone Duo After 3 Days: Apple Built a Stunning Phone and Forgot About the Person Using It
I wanted to love the iPhone Duo. The build is excellent, the inner screen is beautiful, and it feels every bit like a $1,999 Apple product the first time you unfold it. Then I started actually using it. Three days in, I’m far more disappointed than I expected to be, and it’s the basics that keep letting me down.
First impressions · October 26, 2026 · By Son Dao · Photos: Tiny Tech Box.
Three days in, in one line
Stunning phone, frustrating basics
Apple nailed the hardware. But the things I do a hundred times a day, unlocking, holding, calling and texting, feel like nobody at Apple lived with this phone before it shipped.
| What Apple got right | What’s driving me crazy |
|---|---|
| Premium build and finish A gorgeous, roomy inner screen That first unfold still feels special |
Bugs in Apple’s own apps Touch ID instead of Face ID Awkward button placement A poor inner selfie camera Accidental Control Center swipes |
The hardware is a 10 out of 10
Let’s be fair first. Opening the Duo still gives me a little thrill. The big inner screen gives me room to browse, read and use apps in a way no regular iPhone can. The finish, the weight, the hinge: it’s exactly what you’d expect from Apple’s most expensive phone.
And that’s exactly why the rough edges hurt. I don’t spend my day admiring the hinge. I spend it unlocking the phone, opening apps, messaging people and taking calls. That’s where the Duo falls apart.
The software feels unfinished, even Apple’s own apps
I expected third-party apps to need time, and plenty of them do. Facebook squeezes its video feed into a narrow strip, and Messenger’s photo picker leaves a big empty gap in the middle of the screen.
What I didn’t expect was to hit problems in Apple’s own apps. Apple makes the phone, the operating system and those apps, so there’s no one else to blame. On a $1,999 phone, that’s hard to excuse. I’m not the only one noticing: the early reviews rounded up by MacRumors also say app support has a long way to go.
I miss Face ID more than I ever imagined
Going back from Face ID to Touch ID has been my biggest letdown. Face ID had become invisible: I picked up my phone and it just worked. Now I think about where my finger is every single time I unlock the phone or approve a payment.
Touch ID might be fine for you. For me, it turns one of the most basic things a phone does into a small chore, dozens of times a day. On a phone this advanced, that feels like a step backwards. Mrwhosetheboss noticed it too, calling Touch ID less convenient when the phone is unfolded.
The buttons are in the wrong places
The power and volume buttons sit awkwardly in my hand, and the Camera Control button bothers me most. Maybe muscle memory will kick in after another week. So far, I notice these buttons for all the wrong reasons.
A foldable has to work open, closed and everywhere in between. In the positions I actually hold it, the controls just don’t feel natural.
The inner selfie camera is a big disappointment
The FaceTime camera hidden under the inner screen gives me poor results. I get why Apple did it, because it keeps that big display clean, but the trade-off shows up the moment I start a video call.
To be clear, this is about the inner camera only, not the rear cameras. Apple lists it as an under-display camera that records 1080p video (Apple specs). Some reviewers call it fine for casual calls. After three days, I’m much less forgiving.
One-handed use keeps tripping me up
On the smaller screen, the area around the camera and status icons is a trap. When I’m texting or scrolling Facebook with one hand, my thumb keeps catching the spot that pulls down Control Center. Swipe it away, find my place, carry on, and then it happens again.
It sounds trivial. It isn’t, when it happens over and over all day.
My verdict after three days
The iPhone Duo looks and feels like the premium device Apple promised. I have zero complaints about the build or the screens. My frustration is with living with it: the software bugs, losing Face ID, the button placement, the inner camera and those constant accidental swipes.
It’s too early to judge battery life or durability, and I’ll give it another week to see which complaints fade. If you’re thinking about buying one, though, don’t just admire it in the store.
Before you spend $1,999, try these in the store: unlock it with Touch ID ten times in a row, text and scroll one-handed on the smaller screen, make a FaceTime call with the phone unfolded, and open the apps you use every day on the inner screen.
Apple nailed the hardware. Right now, the everyday experience hasn’t caught up, and at this price, it should have.
Keep reading
- iPhone Duo first week: what real owners say about cracked screens and unready software
- The best iPhone Duo cases and screen protectors
- iPhone Duo accessories guide
Sources: Apple, MacRumors and Dexerto. Photos: Tiny Tech Box.
