“Polished But Rough”: First Major Review Casts Doubt On Foldable iPhone Duo’s Mass Adoption

Tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee, who has more than 21 million subscribers, offered a mixed first take on Apple’s foldable iPhone Duo ahead of its Friday release, describing the device as “very polished around the edges, but kind of rough in the middle.”

Brownlee’s review of Apple’s first foldable iPhone may present a hurdle to adoption. At more than $2,000, the Duo’s first-generation shortcomings could make buyers reluctant to pay the hefty premium, prompting some to wait for a second generation.

“It’s $2,000 to get an iPad mini that can fit in your pocket. 120 Hz iPad Mini OLED fits in your pocket. Have you ever wanted that? They made it. They did it. Great. This is the first generation. It’s made for you. But also, yeah, it is it is polished but rough,” Brownlee noted.

The Duo is slightly thicker and heavier than the latest Samsung Galaxy Z Fold, a difference Brownlee said “makes a big difference in daily use.”

After testing the Duo for a week, he said, “you would be happy if it were 20% lighter.”

Brownlee pointed out that the battery capacity is about 4,900 mAh, split across the two halves. With typical mixed use (roughly 75% closed and 25% open), Brownlee called it a “very efficient phone” and “an all-day phone and then some,” regularly finishing the day with more than 30% battery remaining.

The dual rear cameras (48 MP main and ultra-wide) are “right on par with the rest of the foldables” and “solid” most of the time, though the smaller main sensor gets noisier in weaker light and there is no optical zoom, he explained.

He continued, “The app situation on the iPhone Duo is its biggest downside right now.”

“I think after the learning curve and getting used to not having Face ID, this is a really fun phone to use,” he added.

Brownlee’s verdict is mixed:

If you are the iPhone filmmaker who wants the absolute best cameras to go shoot their next thing, no. Uh if you’re the type of person who breaks your phone every like nine months cuz you drop it all the time, yep, probably no. But if the $2,000 or the difference between 35 and 55 bucks a month doesn’t mean much to you and you just kind of like the idea and want to jump in, I think after the learning curve and and getting used to not having Face ID, this is a really fun phone to use.

And it’s really just cuz that polish, that polish around the edges goes a long way towards the fun factor. So, the awesome animations, the incredible hinge, the wonderful inside display, like all of that is just really nice and it hides a little bit of the rough core. Like, it will feel a little heavy sometimes and not all your favorite apps will be updated right out the box, but it is fun.

Apple can’t completely engineer their way around the compromises of this form factor, like the slightly worse battery and the slightly worse speakers and the slightly worse cameras. Like, that’s just physics. But what they have done is an admirable job with their first generation. Now, I’m just going to have to cross my fingers that second generation actually listens to some of that core feedback cuz that could be an amazing phone.

Watch The Duo Review Here Before Buying

Last Friday, when preorders for the Duo opened, we pointed out the incredible initial demand as delivery estimates slipped further and further beyond this Friday by the minute.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the Duo’s estimated delivery date is January 22.

The question remains whether the Duo, at a base price of $2,000, can achieve mass adoption, given that Tim Cook’s $3,400 Vision Pro was a total disaster. Now it’s John Ternus’ turn to prove to investors that Apple still has demand for its premium products.