I took the Duo on a weekend retreat with coworkers, and between the workshops, taking notes and watching football, I got a pretty good feel for why this thing works for me.
I absolutely love it. I also completely understand why some people are watching the reviews and canceling their orders.
I travel a lot, mostly for work, and I’ve wanted something that could give me enough of an iPad experience that I could leave my iPad Pro behind. My tech bag keeps growing and I’d really like it to go the other direction for once.
What I’ve actually used it for
Taking notes during our workshop sessions was a big one. Outside of that, I’ve used it for RedZone, four-box football viewing, movies, YouTube, music, shopping, browsing and FaceTime. Pretty much everything I’d normally reach for my iPad to do while traveling.
Watching football is probably the easiest way to explain the appeal for me. I want the extra screen for that, but I don’t want to carry an iPad around all day just because I might want to watch later. Having it all on my phone is exactly what I was hoping for.
The front screen has also surprised me. I like it a lot more than I expected to, and the form factor feels great. I went into this mostly interested in the larger screen, so that’s been a nice bonus.
The stuff that bothers me
I REALLY miss Face ID. I didn’t think I would care at all. Turns out it’s a huge bummer. And for the first time in almost two decades of using iPhones, the buttons feel foreign to me. I’m having to think about things I’m used to doing without looking.
I’m also babying it way too much. It *feels* fragile to me, but I honestly don’t know how much of that is the phone and how much is having other people’s experiences in my head. I catch myself being overly careful with it, which takes some of the enjoyment out of just using it.
Cases aren’t helping much. The options and aftermarket support feel iffy right now, and I don’t like adhesives or fussy cases. So I’m stuck between wanting protection and not particularly liking the options.
The cameras
I can nitpick the quality, but it’s totally workable for me. Coming from the Air, I’m honestly just delighted to have .5 back. Turns out I care more about having that option than getting Pro Max-level camera quality. Someone else could reasonably feel the exact opposite.
I think this is a niche phone even within the group of people interested in foldables. There are things about it that bother me, and I wouldn’t tell someone to ignore those same things if they were dealbreakers for them.
But after using it on this trip, I can see myself being very happy leaving the iPad at home. I got my notes taken, watched my football and had a screen I enjoyed using without adding another device to the bag. For how often I travel, that’s a pretty big deal to me.