Verge staffers react to the iPhone Duo: what we love and don’t love

Apple has just announced its first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo. The new phone has a 5.4-inch outer screen and a 7.6-inch inner screen, two back cameras, Touch ID for authentication, an IP68 rating, and all sorts of slick software tricks to make iOS feel more at home on the new device. Preorders start on October 16th ahead of availability on October 23rd, and it starts at $1,999 for 256GB of storage.

It’s a huge announcement for Apple, and we have many feelings about it. Here’s our gut reactions to the phone. And let us know in the comments what you think!

I think iPhone Duo is the perfect name for Apple’s foldable. Two screens, Duo. Two back cameras, Duo. (I imagine a future version will get three, but right now we have two.) Duo is a concise three letters, putting it in line with other memorable Apple monikers like Air, Pro, Max, and Neo. Though somewhere at Microsoft, I am sure someone is fuming. —Jay Peters, senior reporter

I’ve never wanted a new iPhone more. As an iPad mini stan, it is the ideal device for me. The size, the form factor, the multitasking possibilities. But I won’t be buying it. It’s just too expensive. (Ed. note: the phone starts at $1,999.) —Jennifer Tuohy, senior reviewer

The Apple Pencil support makes the Duo an iPad Mini killer and the perfect on-the-go sketchbook for digital artists. —Kevin McShane, editorial director, audio & video

It’s the opposite of what I need and I’m mad that I want it

A folding phone sounds great, and I dig the form factor of the iPhone Duo. As my eyes get worse, I want a bigger phone, but I don’t want to carry a bigger phone. But if I’m real with myself, I don’t need to spend more time looking at my screen, and I don’t want to downgrade my camera system either. I am a bad photographer who has fast-moving kids and puppies, and I’m not willing to give up the telephoto lens on my 17 Pro. Maybe I’ll get some reading glasses. —Nathan Edwards, senior review editor

If Apple takes foldables beyond niche, the new 1.4:1 aspect ratio (a far superior ratio!) might change how content creators operate. Seriously, that is a far more reasonable aspect ratio, especially for portraits, and, strangely, it might be the thing that I’m most excited about for Duo. –Marina Galperina, senior tech editor

Apple is selling me on the passport shape

I wasn’t a big fan of the short and stout foldable look when I saw Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, but it’s starting to grow on me. The iPhone Duo looks like it’s comfortable to hold in one hand (which could mean no more dropping my phone on my face while lying down), and its thin profile makes it look pleasant to carry around in a purse. –Emma Roth, news writer

Love the bigger size, but can’t stop thinking about a crease

I find myself using my iPhone 15 Pro Max or iPad more and more for watching TV shows and movies, so having a portable screen that unfolds to something larger is so enticing to me. But I can’t stop worrying about a visible, distracting crease as I fold and unfold it over months of use. I know my eyes (and brain) will attempt to focus on it no matter how slight it is. Maybe the crease will be completely indistinguishable even after over a year, but a minimum of $2,000 is too much for me to take a chance. –John Higgins, senior reviewer, TVs and audio

Apple and Samsung had the same idea

The Duo is similar to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 in more ways than just its passport-ish size and shape. Both phones have prioritized solid core performance but use more basic rear camera setups that distinguish them firmly from the companies’ Pro and Ultra models. They’re a close match in price too, with the Duo only $100 more. That leaves space in the market for Android manufacturers like Xiaomi to come in with higher-specced foldables that place more of an emphasis on photography, battery life, and pro features, leaving Apple and Samsung to make the mainstream play. —Dominic Preston, news editor