"This is Apple and this is an iPhone," MacRumors says of the iPhone Duo's unoptimized apps. After 24 hours using the Duo as its only phone, MacRumors thinks early reviews leaned on the app complaint too hard, and that developers will catch up the way they always have on the iPhone. The loss it does feel is zoom: anything past 2x.
At a glance
| Replaces an iPad mini | Yes, per the video |
|---|---|
| Zoom past 2x | Weak, with no telephoto |
| Battery | Not judged yet, since day one went to setup |
| Bugs | None so far |
Where apps stand
- Netflix is the model: redesigned brightness and volume controls, a drum-pad layout in flex mode, and a digital reflection that spills the picture onto the lower half.
- Instagram, Todoist, and Fantastical move their navigation to the side and use the whole screen.
- Spotify, X, and YouTube fill about 90 percent of the display but leave an empty strip where controls should sit.
- Apps not yet updated work fine and look rough, which MacRumors expects to change for most everyday apps within days to weeks.
MacRumors on the hardware
- Cameras. Main and ultra wide shots sit close to an iPhone 18 Pro's, minus the Pro's variable aperture. The inner selfie camera is there for video calls.
- Inner screen. It feels like a nano-texture iPad, a touch softer than glass without seeming delicate, and smudges easily. Apple's polishing cloth handles that.
- Typing. The cover screen types like an iPhone mini. Unfolded, the split keyboard, behind the ellipsis at the keyboard's upper left, works best in portrait.
- Touch ID. Well placed for the thumb, with a deliberate pause, and a worn Apple Watch gets in almost as fast as Face ID.
- Accessories. MagSafe gear holds when folded and sags when unfolded, and Apple's stand case leaves the edges exposed.
Two apps plus a picture-in-picture window make three things running at once, the setup MacRumors values most, though tapping a clip in one app still pauses a muted game playing in the other.
Multitasking is where this phone really earns its place.
On Face ID, reports MacRumors cites have Apple testing it on a second-generation Duo, and the video's hedge for buyers who'd rather not wait is Apple's upgrade program. iPhoners who already wear an Apple Watch will feel the Touch ID trade least.
