DUBAI, UAE / RankWire.AI / – Apple’s iPhone Duo marks the moment foldable smartphones move from experimental luxury into mainstream computing, according to a new review of the device. The book-style foldable pairs a 5.4-inch outer display with a 7.6-inch inner screen in a wider, passport-style shape. It runs on Apple’s 2nm A20 Pro chip and starts at US$1,999. The review, by MENA Newswire founder Ajay Rajguru, says the phone brings real trade-offs alongside its engineering gains.
The outer Super Retina XDR display uses a 1.41:1 aspect ratio, giving more than 90% of the usable width of a standard flagship phone. The inner canvas is comparable in size to an iPad mini. According to Apple’s specifications, the phone measures 5.2 mm unfolded and 11.3 mm folded. It weighs 254 grams, making it the heaviest iPhone yet. Apple opened preorders on October 16 and began sales on October 23.
Apple applied nano-texture matte etching to the inner cover layer to reduce the visible crease. The micro-etched surface scatters light instead of reflecting it, making the fold less noticeable under office lights or sunlight. Outdoor peak brightness reaches 3,000 nits, the review says. A hinge built from more than 100 components, with carbon-fibre ribs and titanium plates, holds the panel flat. A slight physical valley remains, but it is shallower than on older rivals.
Touch ID returns as Face ID is dropped
Apple dropped Face ID on the Duo and moved Touch ID into the side power button. The review says a full TrueDepth system cannot read faces accurately through active OLED pixels. The inner display instead uses an under-display camera, which keeps the screen edge to edge during media playback. Its image quality remains slightly softer than standard selfie sensors, despite post-processing. Users can also unlock the phone automatically while wearing an authenticated Apple Watch.
The A20 Pro features a 6-core CPU and a 7-core GPU, cooled by a split vapour chamber that spreads heat across both halves. iOS 27 lets users run two iPhone apps side by side. Both displays share the same aspect ratio, so apps switch between folded and open states without letterboxing. The Duo supports the USB-C Apple Pencil, and its 4,883 mAh split battery delivers up to 24 hours of use, according to the review.
Gray market premiums top US$1,000
Demand has pushed resale prices well above retail, the review says. In the United States, the US$1,999 entry model sells for US$2,600 to US$3,100 on the street, with six- to eight-week waits for larger storage versions. In the UAE, units priced at AED 8,499 fetch AED 13,000 to AED 16,500. The review says Apple raised its first-year supplier production target by more than 40% to meet the backlog.
The review lists gaps that may disappoint some buyers, including the lack of Face ID and a dedicated telephoto periscope lens. Early user reports also flagged increased screen rigidity in near-freezing temperatures. Rajguru says developers must update apps for multi-column tablet layouts. The Duo enters a category long led by Samsung devices such as the Galaxy Z Fold7. It also follows Apple’s launch of a touchscreen MacBook Pro in October.