iPhone Duo Review: After 3,000 Folds, Here’s What We Found（原声文稿）

The iPhone dual is finally here.

Foldables have always been a bit awkward. It has two screens, but neither feels right.

The outer screen is either too tall or too wide, not as comfortable as a regular phone.

The inner screen is big, but that often means bigger black bars and apps stretched out to fill the space.

And since it folds, the heat, the performance, and the battery all get worse. And don't forget the trees.

So even after 8 years, only one in every 50 phone sold is a foldable.

Now, iPhone dual is here, but has Apple find a way to fix these issues, or is it stuck that everyone else?

Compared to a normal phone, is it better or worse? Today, let's find out.

The iPhone dual is a bit like the Air, the back's one big slab of plain glass with a dynamic island style bump for the flash, mic, and two cameras. Really clean. Just two colors, black and white.

It supports maximum charging, but if you put it on the charger while unfolding, it swings down. Flip to the front, the 5 .4 -inch outer screen.

Top right is the front camera, but no face ID. It unlocks with the side fingerprint sensor.

The dual is 84mm wide, 6 -wider in the 18 Pro Max, and at 250 grams, an 11mm stick.

It's not exactly comfortable to hold in one hand, and adding a case only makes it worse. But Apple's official case is pretty clever.

It has a section that stretches along the hinge, so it wraps around the whole phone, whether it's folded or open. and there's even a built -in stand to prop it up.

It's really nice, but at this price, I kind of need another case to protect this case.

Beyond the awkward grip, there's another quirk. The volume button are on the top of the phone. A layout I've never seen before.

So the first time I wanted to change the volume, I had to look around for a bit. But what stands out more is the shape of the outer screen.

The corners on the left are almost square, while the two on the right are heavily rounded, like the letter D.

Apple's idea is to use this uneven shape as a reminder that this screen is incomplete. For the full experience, you have to unfold it. And use this massive 7 .6 inch display.

The first thing we usually check on a foldable is the crease.

Fresh out of the box, the dual does a great job of hiding it.

In person, apart from a few specific angles, the crease is almost invisible, whether the screen is off or on.

But our eyes can only see so much, so we did a professional creased -up scan on brand new dual and two other brand new white foldable. We also included a used foldable from 5 years ago as a reference.

As you can see, creases on the new phones are less noticeable.

Out of the 4 phones, only the old one has a clear W -shaped crease, with a peak to valley height of 350 microns. And this is Duo's screen scan.

The height difference is just 48 microns, about half of the thickness of a sheet of paper.

As for the slope across center crease, which better reflects how it feels to the touch, the dual comes in less than 0 .1 degrees.

also much better than models A and B.

Brand new, the dual's crease is the best in the industry.

But when I tried it after the launch event, the crease was very obvious. Because crease on foldables is deeper with use.

So we built this version of Fly Peep Bird, letting our team have some fun while working that crease into the screen. Just kidding.

We actually bought these folding machines to fold these phones 3 ,000 times, then kept them folded for a while before re -standing. As expected, the creases on all three phones got deeper.

The dual losses lead with the peak to valley height of 167 microns, worse than model B and about the same as model A.

The slope across the center crease also rose to 1 .24 degrees, again worse than model B, but better than model A.

We also notice the screen flexes slightly when you slide a finger across dual's hinge.

We suspect there is a fairly thick foam underneath for cushioning, but it doesn't affect normal use.

On a side note, have you noticed that most foldables come unfolded in the box?

That's because when folded, the material's inside the screen slowly deforms under stress, depending on the crease until it settles.

So if the crease really bothers you, leave your foldable open while charging.

Beyond the crease, the hinge also needs to hold its angle.

In our test, the iPhone Duo could stay open at any angle from 15 to 165 degrees, about on part with model A and battery in model B.

Overall, Apple's first foldable handles the folding part really well.

So how does it keep the crease down and hold its angle, and how does this hinge compare to the competition?

Since we are not allowed to take apart the review unit, we use the CT scan to look inside. Then combine that with official materials to build a 3D model of the dual hinge.

Next, we'll explain how it works, but if you're not interested, you can skip the cat to here.

By function, the dual hinge can be divided into six sections.

sections. Section 1 through 4 are mirrored at the top and bottom, with both halves serving the same functions.

Section 5 in the center is simple, just space for flex cables connecting the circuits on both sides.

Section 1 and Section 6 are basically pair of hinges connecting each side of the phone through the central shaft so they can rotate, linking the structure and controlling their motion path.

While rotation alone isn't enough, Section 3 keeps both sides in sync.

Each row has 4 set of gears that transfer rotation from one side to the other, making sure both have turned by the same angle.

But this alone can't hold the phone, so we need resistance from section 2 and 4, meaning made up of springs and cams. The design is clever.

When the phone is fully open, the cams fit together, while the springs press against them to resist rotation, holding Holding the phone until we apply enough force to fold it.

As we fold it, the cams compress the springs which push back and the resulting frictional torque overcomes the phone's own weight, allowing it to hover normally.

Keep folding past 5 degrees and magnets around the dual frame hold to half -shot and keep them firmly closed.

As we close the phone, the hinge creates a bending space for the screen to form a teardrop shape and a size directly dictates the crease.

Think of the screen as a sheet of paper.

Fold in half with a wide curve, and there won't be much of a crease when you open it.

Puppressive flat with no room to bend, and you will get a very clear crease. We use the CT to measure dual -steer drop.

At its widest point, it's about 3 .85mm across, fairly average for a new foldable.

The dual doesn't have a highlight in another area though. It achieves IP68.

The 6th represents the highest dustproof rating possible, which is rare for a foldable with mechanic moving parts.

Beyond that, almost airy foldable on the market has two small bumps at both ends of the hinge.

The reason is simple. First, these bumps provide structural support.

Dispersing pressure when you press your finger down, so you don't damage the display.

Second, if you accidentally drop the phone in a lens on the end of the hinge, the bump can channel the impact directly into the metal frame, protecting the fragile hint and the screen.

But on the iPhone dual, this area is completely flat.

Not only does it look cleaner and more seamless, but there is also no jarring edges on the sliding of your finger across the bezel.

As for drop protection, the dual uses a titanium hinge cover, which is inherently stronger and can withstand the screen turns light into diffuse reflections, evening out the distortion so the display looks much flatter.

Beyond that, this nano -texture gives the screen a distinct paper -like texture.

Apple mentioned the dual will support Apple Pencil, so I tried scrubbing a bit on it and the tactile feel is genuinely great, but because of the camera bump, the seesaw wobble makes the writing awkward, so we 3D printed a baseplate to level out the back, which makes handwriting feel far more natural.

Still, I'm not concerned, why the Apple Pencil scratched the display and ruined the texture.

So we gathered pencils from 6B to 8H, then used this rig to apply a constant 100g, roughly 1 newton of downward force to scratch the screen.

In the end, the dual inner screen picked up scratches under the 6H pencil, visible on the bright light, but too light to feel with your finger.

At 8H, the scratches became more obvious, and you could actually feel them by touch. So how good is that?

For comparison, another foldable inner screen showed no scratches at 4H, but it can be replaced for about $49. Or 19 with AppleCare Plus. But the nano -texture has downsides too.

Because it scatters light, ambient light makes black areas on the dual screen look grey rather than truly dark, making the experience less immersive.

Still, compared with typical paper -like screen protectors, it affects image quality far less and feels smoother too.

Beyond the nano -texture, the iPhone dual also adds UTG glass above and below the display for the first time. UTG stands for ultra -thin glass.

It makes the screen more resistant to pressure, so we tested that too.

Pressing an Apple Pencil down with different loads to see how much pressure the dual screen could take.

At around 15 newtons, about 1 .5kg, could you barely see any mark and you could hardly feel it.

For comparison, another white styled foldable left a permanent white mark under that same 15 newtons. You may not know what that force feels like.

For perspective, the iPhone 7 home button took about 2 newtons to trigger.

Now imagine concentrating and then higher 15 newtons of force into a contact area no bigger than a pencil tip. Only then do annotations start appearing.

So you don't need to worry about damaging the display with your fingers.

Finally, to create this uninterrupted screen, the dual uses an under -display camera.

When text overlaps it, the drop in resolution is obvious, but it has little impact in daily use.

Overall, the iPhone dual has a solid screen and hinge. The nano -texture surface stands out.

While it costs some clarity and contrast, it makes the crease far less visible and the screen harder. a very useful feature.

Beyond that, IP68 resistance and dual UTG layers are both rare among foldables, but only long -term use will tell how well it holds up.

So once it goes on sale, we'll buy one and use this machine to fold it until it breaks to see how long it lasts.

But however good the tech is, what matters is everyday use.

So what's Apple's first foldable like to use?

Well, most foldables have an inner screen close to one by one. The iPhone dual uses 1 .4 by one ratio. Why did Apple choose this unusual shape?

When foldables first came along, the idea behind their shape was simple.

Take a regular phone and make it bigger, so everything feels better, then fold it up to carry around. Perfect. But this created a problem.

Once folded, the outer screen was far too narrow. The keyboard was so cramped, it was barely usable. So why not make the outer screen wider, like a regular phone?

The trade -off is that, unfolded, the inner screen becomes a square. Square.

Videos end up with two huge black bars, and movies might even look smaller than on a big regular phone kind of decreased the point.

So why not make the inner screen wider and shorter for a better video experience?

And that's the shape of the iPhone dual. But this has problems too.

Fold is shut, and the outer screen is wide as well, making it harder to hold in one hand and leaving less vertical space. Try typing and the keyboard takes up after the screen.

So the two main shapes of foldables today, square or short and wide.

And other elements along the right edge to save vertical space.

This puts the control with an easy thumb reach on the right.

Just shift your thumb to tap back, leaving a full 16 by 9 area for content on the left.

And within the same map, although the text is indeed a bit smaller, the actual content displayed is only about a quarter less than on the iPhone 18 Pro.

This layout helps offset the outer screen's wide, short shape.

But there are downsides. Putting controls on the right is awkward for lefties.

Apple's only apps handle this layout well, but open third -party apps, unless developers update their layouts, the buttons that should be on the right stay cramped on the left, leaving only the time and status icons floating there, all alone. That's it for the outer screen. Now let's talk about the more important inner screen.

As we said earlier, why foldables put inner screen experience first?

For videos that pays off, the iPhone dual gives you a much bigger picture than the 18 Pro Max.

Even compared with a square foldable, the dual smaller screen shows a bigger picture, thanks to our extra width.

But besides watching videos, we do a lot more on our phones.

I scroll in fees, messaging, ordering food, and shopping. And here's the interesting about the foldable.

On the big screen, many apps don't actually show much more content. That sounds odd, but here's an example.

While messaging on an older screen, I feel like I can barely see any messages, so I unfold it and still see the same amount of messages.

The video looks small, so I unfold the phone, and it's still the same size. I have to turn it and not the 90 degrees to get a better view.

Those two steps get old fast, and often all you get is a regular phone scaled up.

There's no extra information, so whether the bigger inner screen improves the experience depends more on how third -party apps redesign their layouts.

And for the past few years, developers' attitude toward foldables have basically been never heard of them.

Unfold your phone and most apps just stretch to fill the screen, often showing no more information or even less.

So can Apple with its pull with developers really fix this long -standing issue?

Well, unfortunately, the iPhone dual isn't on sale yet as we filmed this.

We tested 25 popular apps and 60 % still haven't been on screen, really does show more information.

In social apps like Red Note, the feed goes from two columns to three or even four.

Open of posts to view photos on the left and scroll comments on the right.

Chat apps like Larg tend to use separate sections, a chat list on the left, a conversation on the right, or videos on the left, messages on the right.

So is the dual better to use than other white foldables?

In shopping apps, the dual has a layout missing on Android white foldables, product photos on the left, details and reviews on the right. Its bigger screen seems to be put to better use.

More interestingly, the dual carries the outer screen's right side control strip over to the inner screen.

In video apps like Billy Billy Ops, it's just a lot of work to get right.

For regular phone, one portrait layout is to be enough, but foldables needs layouts for the outer screen, the inner screen, book mode, portion mode, laptop mode, and the outer screen in tent mode.

All six modes needs design, development, and testing.

So adding a screen doesn't double the workload and multiplies it. So how do I know all this?

Because the app you are seeing now is the one we built at our studio.

It's called Starforce.

It helps you cut back on mindless scrolling so you don't lose hours and end up feeling tired and empty. Give it a try if you're interested.

It's iPhone only for now and optimized for the dual too. Sadly, too few apps are optimized for the dual. So how about running two apps in split -screen?

The good news is the basics are all there.

You can easily drag photos and links between apps and switch either app out.

Apps like Notes and Safari can even open on both sides at once.

Hold it vertically and video apps support top and bottom split screen so you can watch the show while chatting.

But the bad news is Apple's back telling you how to use your phone. First, the center handle looks draggable but isn't.

So you can resize either app and remember that awkward black strip on the outer screen?

In split screen, apps that haven't been updated will give you two, one on each side.

A pair of digital door guards and top and bottom split screen looks great light, until the keyboard pops up and shrinks the video above.

Beyond using each screen on its own, the dual puts special care into switching between them.

The best example is the folding animation that turns heads at the launch.

Apple wants a seamless transition, unfolded in everything from the outer screen stays in place.

To make this feel natural, the dual's inner screen lights up fastest among the white foldables we tested, and it takes the least force to open.

But while this sounds elegant, it has real flaws in practice.

First, third -party apps struggle to keep both screens in sync.

You spot an interesting thumbnail in your feed, and unfold the phone to open it, only to find it's moved.

As you can see, even Apple's own apps like Notes and Messages struggles with this basic conflict.

Beyond the bigger screen, folding the dual also opens up some new tricks.

In Book mode, the uneven layout splits evenly between both sides, and content near the hinge moves aside for easier viewing and control.

This mode looks useless and pretty much is.

Nobody uses the phone this way.

Its main purpose may be to show once again just how obsessed Apple is with visual perfection.

In laptop mode, the bottom half becomes a control area for typing or video playback.

It's fun to use but leaves little room for content on the top half.

For this mode, the dual is also the first foldable with its USB -C port at the bottom.

Bottom of the inner screen's left half, there's tent mode.

Send a dual on your desk to watch videos or you stand by.

That's dual software, fresh ideas from Apple, and a few nicer prices.

But app support still has a long way to go, and there's more.

The dual shares the outer drawbacks of foldables too. Let's start with performance.

The dual and the 18 Pro models share the 820 Pro chip.

CPU scores are within the margin of error, but the dual scores about 10 % lower in GPU test. The gap widens in game.

Over half an hour on death stranding, both Pro models average over 40 frames per second.

The dual manages just 33, 20 % lower.

Only the Pro Max maintains the starting brightness of 300 nits. The Pro drops to 200, the dual to 185.

Despite worse performance, the dual runs hottest at 46 .5 degrees Celsius, about 3 degrees above the Pro models. Why such different results from the same chip? The reason is cooling. cooling.

Foldables are built like two separate phones. Heat struggles to cross between halves.

With the limited space, the dual -vapor chamber covers only a small area around the chip.

Heat builds up, hits the thermal limit, and forces the A20 Pro to slow down, lowering frame rates and making games choppy. And cooling affects more than gaming. It also affects charging speed.

With Apple's 41 dynamic power adapter, the unfolded dual charges charges from 0 to full in 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Folded, poor cooling lowers charging power slightly, extending that to 1 hour and 52 minutes. The gap should grow in summer.

Apple lists a 60W charger for fast charging, but the dual peaks at just 42W. Luckily, AVS isn't required.

Standard 65W and 45W PD chargers both hit 42W.

Even a 30W PD charger fills the unfolded dual in 1 hour and 43 minutes, just 3 minutes slower. So, how long does the full charge last?

In our heavy use test, the dual lasted 5 hours and 29 minutes, beating the Air and 18 Pro by trialing the Pro Max, given their battery and screen sizes, that's expected.

Our test is demanding though, everyday battery life will be longer and the dual should last a full day.

Beyond battery life, cameras are another weak spot for foldables, so how does the dual perform? We took some shots with it and the 18 Pro.

Well, in good light, their photos look pretty much the same, but in low light, the dual sharpening is more obvious.

Details look more smeared too, so it still falls short of the 18 Pro.

So where do the dual camera sit in the iPhone lineup?

X -Race shows the sensors are close in size to the iPhone 17s, both have 48MP main and ultra -wide cameras, with matching apertures and focal length.

Their photos look very similar too, so the dual cameras seem roughly on par with the standard iPhone.

The camera hardware falls short, but folding brings fun tricks.

Smart capture takes a photo when everyone's ready, flashing a light on the back as a cue.

But you must leave it screened down on the ground. With the phone this expensive, I wouldn't dare.

Dual screen preview shows the camera view on the outer screen, helping your subject adjust the framing, but watching it makes it easy to look away from the lens.

The outer screen can also serve as a teleprompter, but by far that's only a developer demo. No app is available yet.

For selfies, we compared it with another phone with an under -display camera in the iPhone 18 Pro.

Both under -display cameras fall short of the 18 Pro, with noticeably smeared details.

But without zooming in, the dual looks acceptable.

With no obvious color cast, the other phone's result though is hard to keep a straight face.

If image quality matters to you, flip the dual over and use the outer screen's camera.

It looks much better, though the view is still narrower than the 18 Pro's.

Now we've covered Apple's first foldable from every angle. What do you think of the dual? I think Apple has brought some new ideas to the table.

The nano -texture surface, palm -free bezels, dual UTG layers, and USB -C port on the left, vertical controls along the side, seamless folding animation, and experiments with different folding modes.

In a category that's been around for 8 years, Apple's first attempt brings plenty of fresh ideas with real purpose behind them that deserves credit.

But think about it, these ideas mostly fix flaws built into the folding design, rather than pushing the phone experience forward. Folding creates a crease, so we need nano -texture.

The screen has two bands, so we need ultra -glare glass. The hinge is fragile, so we need titanium.

Imagine an ideal world where foldables have no crease and are just as strong as regular phones. Were they becoming mainstream?

I still doubt it, because this design has two fundamental conflicts at its core.

First, the two screens work against each other.

Improve the outer screen and the inner screen becomes a big empty square.

Favor the inner screen and the outer screen becomes a passport that's hard to grip. It's a zero -sum game.

More importantly, whatever you'll see, they mostly use the outer screen.

That's why most foldables have favored this shape in recent years.

You'll enjoy the benefits some of the time by paying the price all the time.

More importantly, even if you're willing to pay that price, unfolding the screen is always a guessing game. Does this app work well on the big screen?

And even if it does, is it better in landscape or portrait? Chatting is a perfect example.

You have to unfold the phone then turn it just to get a big review. Now I'm managing the phone instead of chatting.

As one philosopher put it, when a hammer works well, you focus on the nail, not the hammer. Only when it fails do you notice the tool itself.

Using a regular phone is like grabbing a trusty hammer. We focus on a task, not the tool.

But if foldable breaks that focus, they stop to figure out how to hold the hammer.

There's only one way to fix this, seamless app support.

If unfolding always makes things better, it won't break your flow, but it takes a lot of small steps to make that big leap.

For the dual to truly feel right, we may be waiting for 4 or 5 years rather than 1 or 2. Regular phones have none of these problems.

Phone makers can perfect one form.

Developers can design for one screen shape, and users don't have to think about out to use their phone.

So why, after 8 years, is only one in every 50 phones sold is affordable?

Because the core idea is conflicted, it lacks a clear focus, and sales reflect that.

But interestingly, in the short term, these conflicts may not matter much to Apple. Demand for the iPhone Duo has been strong.

Just half an hour after pre -orders opened, shipping days have slipped to late January next year.

So why is the phone starting at $2 ,000 selling so well?

First, homes matter so much today, we spend 7 or 8 hours a day on this screen, sometimes longer.

In this long, someone even built an app to help cut back.

For something we use this much, people are willing to spend.

After all, the more expensive Pro Max else sells the Pro, and think about it, iPhones are expensive, but compared with luxury goods, their prices aren't that wild.

Even the world's richest person uses the same iPhone as everyone else, so Apple wants to charge more, and people are willing to spend.

Again, the dual -strong demand so far makes sense.

Besides, compared with the Pro model's niche camera features, it folds as a much easier sell point.

So, the iPhone dual's arrival doesn't mean the problems with foldables are finally solved.

It still comes between a phone and a tablet without a clear identity, but in a short term, that may not matter.

For now, perhaps the point of folding isn't to make the phones better.

Perhaps the point of folding is to make them more expensive.

Okay guys, that's it for this video. Thank you so much for watching. See you next time.