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Tech News
An analysis of foldable smartphones outlines persistent drawbacks including hinge durability, scratch-prone displays, added bulk and weight, weaker cameras, and apps that don't yet scale well across screens. It also notes that repairs are costly, with iFixit rating current foldables as effectively unrepairable, making insurance advisable given theft risk.
Apple's iPhone 18 Pro is now available, featuring a variable aperture camera, new Pro Controls for shutter speed adjustments, and an internal redesign with a larger vapor chamber for cooling. Its foldable iPhone Duo, set to launch October 23, has a passport-style folding design with a 7.6-inch inner screen but only two rear cameras and no variable aperture, starting at $1,999 versus $1,199 for the 18 Pro.
Android Authority compared selfie shots from three phones with under-display cameras—the REDMAGIC 11 Pro, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, and Redmi Note 17 Pro Max—against the backdrop of Apple's iPhone Duo foldable, which uses an under-display selfie camera for the first time. The tester found the REDMAGIC's photos oversharpened and smeared detail, while the Z Fold 8 produced more natural results despite a lower megapixel count, and the Redmi phone showed splotchy textures despite its 32MP sensor.
Apple confirmed to CNET that its first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, will launch on Oct. 23 running iOS 27.1 instead of the base iOS 27 version. The company said this build adds features specifically designed for the foldable form factor, while other iPhones are already testing the next update, iOS 27.2. Preorders for the Duo open Oct. 16, and all devices will eventually be able to move to iOS 27.2 later this year.
CNET is revisiting its original 2007 review of the first iPhone, written by Kent German and Donald Bell, as Apple prepares to launch the foldable iPhone Duo starting at $2,000. The original review praised the iPhone's design but criticized its missing features, slow EDGE network, and $499 price tag, which required a two-year AT&T contract.
Apple has released the iPhone Duo, its first foldable phone, featuring a passport-style hinge and large displays, priced at over $2,000. Unlike Samsung, which has iterated on foldables for seven years mostly among tech enthusiasts, Apple's mainstream user base means early feedback could shape how folding phones evolve industry-wide.
Blogger Nicolas Lellouche discovered a hidden display option on the iPhone Duo called 'Shift Left Edge,' which adds a black border to the outer screen's left side, effectively doubling the bezel there. Apple's own description says the feature shifts content away from cases that partially cover that edge of the outer display.
Apple introduced its first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, at a launch event where CEO John Ternus showed off the $2,000 passport-style device with dual 48-megapixel rear cameras. The phone opens for preorder Oct. 16 and hits stores Oct. 23, arriving years after competitors already established the foldable phone category. CNET staff writers offered varied reactions, from excitement about foldables regaining relevance to skepticism about buying the very first version.
Apple unveiled the iPhone Duo, its first folding phone, at a recent event, drawing comparisons to both Microsoft's 2020 dual-screen Duo and Apple's own iPad Mini. The device supports Apple Pencil input and some split-screen app functionality reminiscent of iPad multitasking, though Apple describes it only as 'inspired by' the iPad rather than a replacement for it. Pricing is expected to start around $2,000.
Apple's event introduced a feature called Reference Image, which creates an unalterable digital record of a photo so users can check whether it's been altered with AI, alongside an AppleCare One Family plan and a new foldable device called iPhone Duo. The writer, a longtime Android user, says these announcements impressed them despite Android often introducing similar concepts first.
Apple's new CEO John Ternus and marketing chief Greg Joswiak told TechRadar and Tom's Guide that competitors like Samsung, Huawei and Xiaomi announced similarly proportioned foldable phones before Apple's iPhone Duo, due to shared suppliers leaking design details. Joswiak said Apple did manage to keep the phone's unique folding nano-texture display a secret through extra security measures.
Apple's new foldable iPhone Duo features a 7.6-inch inner display and 5.4-inch outer display, priced at $1,999. CNET compares this to buying a separate iPhone and iPad, finding the combined cost of those devices can be close to or even exceed the Duo's price depending on the models chosen.