GoKawiil
Tech News
Indie developer Vidit Bhargava created an app called Duo-Man that mimics a classic Walkman using the iPhone Duo's dual screens: opening the device lets users pick a song and 'insert' a virtual cassette, while closing it starts playback. Bhargava said he recorded real button clicks and static noise from an actual Walkman to make the effect authentic, and built the app during a hackathon at Bitrig.
Ahead of iPhone Duo's October 23 release, leaker pdfu found code in the iOS 27.1 simulator pointing to five StandBy views Apple hasn't announced: Home Camera, Home Modular, Flow, Fade, and Snoopy. These would join already-revealed StandBy options like Analog, Digital, Weather, and Photos, which appear when the foldable device is set in its standing configuration.
A leak from Aaron Perris indicates Apple's upcoming iPad mini refresh will include an A20 Pro chip and thinner bezels, alongside previously reported OLED display and water-resistant design. A commentator argues the device should also adopt the split-screen with picture-in-picture multitasking feature seen on the iPhone Duo.
A tech commentary compares foldable phone screen sizes to compact tablets, noting devices like the Pixel 11 Pro Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra offer displays close in size to the iPad Mini's 8.3-inch screen. The piece argues that folding phones combine smartphone portability with tablet-like screen space, and can eliminate the need for a separate cellular data plan that many tablets require.
Reports indicate that sales of Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 have increased following Apple's announcement of the iPhone Duo, its rumored foldable device. Samsung has responded by lowering prices on some of its foldable phones in certain markets. Foldables remain a small slice of the overall smartphone market, with IDC estimating 20.6 million foldable shipments last year against 1.25 billion total smartphone shipments.
Apple has unveiled its first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, drawing comparisons online to Microsoft's Surface Duo foldable line. Critics have accused Apple of copying the name, but Apple previously used 'Duo' for its PowerBook Duo laptop in 1992, predating Microsoft's product by decades.
Reports on Apple's foldable iPhone Duo say its screen uses a matte coating that reduces glare and makes the fold line less visible than on rival foldables. Early hands-on impressions describe the crease as more noticeable by touch than by sight, but reviewers note this only reflects the device's current, unused state.
Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Z Fold 8 alongside two other foldables at its July Unpacked event, introducing a shorter, wider form factor distinct from prior Z Fold models. The device measures 123.9mm tall, 9.7mm thick folded and 4.5mm unfolded, weighing 201 grams, making it lighter than the Z Fold 8 Ultra. A hands-on review after two weeks of use found it a strong but not flawless entry into the wide-foldable category.
Apple released TestFlight version 4.4.0, adding landscape orientation on iPhone and support for the resizable iPhone Mirroring window in macOS 27 Golden Gate. The update also switches TestFlight's app list to a two-column layout in landscape and rearranges app detail screens to use extra horizontal space. The update follows Apple's rollout of resizable iPhone Mirroring aspect ratios in macOS 27 Golden Gate.
A hands-on review of Apple's iPhone 18 Pro finds the design largely unchanged from the iPhone 17 Pro, with the main additions being a variable aperture camera system, a new chip, improved battery life and better thermal management that keeps the phone cooler under load. The reviewer notes Apple is reserving bolder design experiments for other models like the iPhone Air and the new iPhone Duo.
Apple has confirmed pre-orders for its first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo, open October 16 with units shipping October 23 in over 70 countries and regions, expanding to 28 more by October 30. The device will launch running iOS 27.1, and Apple is also rumored to be preparing new Macs, Home products, and an updated iPad mini for release in October.
A demo video from Instagram user Tom Hitchins (@bytereview) shows the upcoming iPhone Duo being operated left-handed, despite the foldable's hinge and curved-edge design appearing to favor right-handed grip. Hitchins, who is himself right-handed, says the device 'works well enough' when reaching across to the dock positioned on the right side of the screen.