The iPhone Duo is easiest to type on when it's closed, the opposite of what a bigger screen promises. 9to5Mac spent a few days running ordinary iPhone chores on Apple's foldable, and its wider cover keyboard beat the 17 Pro's for long messages while the unfolded one felt like a stretch.

On the cover screen

  • Typing. Wider keys make long messages easier. Swipe typing still works, though each swipe travels farther.
  • Reach. Notifications pull down from the left, Siri from the middle, and Control Center from the far right. A Reachability-style shortcut would help, per the video, which rates one-handed use 90 percent of the way there.
  • Screenshots. With the volume buttons on the top edge, the shortcut takes two fingers, and it captures only the active screen.

Buttons and sign-in

  • Touch ID. The sensor in the side button pauses about a second with Rest Finger to Open on. Turning that off felt slower to 9to5Mac, since it adds a swipe.
  • Apple Watch. With the nearby-device option in Touch ID settings, a worn Apple Watch opens the phone faster than the fingerprint did in the video.
  • Ports and buttons. USB-C sits on the top edge at USB 3 speeds like the Pro models, and there's no Action button: besides volume, only the side button and Camera Control remain.

On the inner screen

  • Split view. Hold an app to one side and the two halves act as two iPhones, each with its own home screen swipe. The split stays fixed at the middle; a tap locks the pair.
  • Drag and drop. A photo from Photos or a file from Files drops straight into a post in the other half.
  • Continuity. Unfolding carries the open app across instantly, even apps not yet built for the Duo.
  • Netflix. Half folded, it moves its buttons to the lower half and adds a digital reflection of the picture.

Going in, the video expected the inner screen to be about watching movies and came away calling the Duo productivity-focused, because each half behaves like a phone iPhoners already know how to use.

Two habits break without warning: a screen recording stops when the phone folds or unfolds, and a standard MagSafe wallet hangs off the bottom edge, as the iPhone Duo MagSafe fit test already showed.