Tom’s Guide editor-in-chief Mark Spoonauer got hands-on time with Apple’s first foldable and came away impressed. He calls the iPhone Duo’s phone-to-tablet transitions “magical,” notes that the crease is almost impossible to feel, and says years of waiting appear to have paid off in software polish.
Mark Spoonauer for Tom’s Guide:
At the risk of sounding cliche, there’s something magical about using the iPhone Duo. The way it seamlessly transitions from phone to tablet and back again. The fact that you can’t even feel the crease — though it is visible. And the way the software reacts based on the angle of the device.
Apple has taken several years to release its first foldable phone, but based on my hands-on impressions its patience has paid off.
The 7.6-inch innner display is breathtaking. You can barely see the crease, and the way that Apple designed the iPhone Duo you can’t even feel it. Plus, the Duo will support Apple Pencil input.
A big selling point of the iPhone Duo is the software experience. And you can tell that Apple has put a lot of thought into how this device works.
In fact, Apple has redesigned all of its apps so that the controls now live on the right side instead of the bottom, which was a wise move.
As you’d expect, content reacts based on how the iPhone Duo is positioned and folded…
Multitasking is pretty easy. If you have one app open and want to open another, you move it up slightly and to the right or left side of the display. Then you simply open another app.
@tomsguide That transition between folded and unfolded looks absolutely wild 🤯 here's your first look at the iPhone Duo in hand at the Apple Event #iphoneduo #foldableiphone #appleevent #technews ♬ original sound – Tom’s Guide
The iPhone Duo is not cheap. And it’s a bit heaver and thicker than I was hoping for. But it looks like this could be the foldable phone to beat in terms of Apple’s combination of polished design, the robust software experience and enhanced durability.
MacDailyNews Take: Again, iPhone Duo pre-orders begin Friday, October 16th (5:00am PDT/ 8:00am EDT). Hoping we all have much success during those first crucial minutes!
Apple will sell every iPhone DUo it can make next year and still have people lining up to buy.
Apple wasn’t first with fingerprint recognition, they were the first to do it right with Touch ID. Apple wasn’t first with facial recognition, they were the first to do it right with Face ID. Apple wasn’t first with contactless payments, they were the first to do it right with Apple Pay. — MacDailyNews, February 27, 2019
If and when Apple debuts a foldable iPhone, they’ll be showing the world how it should be done and what to copy going forward. As usual. — MacDailyNews, February 27, 2019
As with fingerprint and facial recognition, when Apple debuts a foldable iPhone, then foldable smartphones will have been done right. — MacDailyNews, January 17, 2019
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