Foldy brings iPhone Duo StandBy mode to Android foldables as reviews assess Duo

On the iPhone Duo, StandBy normally turns the phone into a bedside clock or smart display when it is charging or docked. Because the Duo lacks MagSafe support, it activates StandBy when placed half-folded on a flat surface, Android Authority reported. It works in several orientations, including opened like a laptop, in tent mode with the cover screen visible, or standing vertically; when the inner screen is visible, both faces can display different content.

The same day, 9to5Mac published a roundup of iPhone Duo reviews and said reviewers widely agreed that the device is the best foldable phone on the market. The roundup said Apple waited a long time before entering the category and that the wait appeared justified. It also said the phone is not for everyone: aside from the high price, the weight when held in one hand and the unusual display shape are significant drawbacks for people who expect to use the outer screen most of the time. The phone makes sense mainly for those who expect to use the larger unfolded screen frequently.

Reviewers said Apple has not made the crease invisible and has not claimed to. The crease can be seen in certain light at certain angles and felt with a finger, but reviewers agreed it is the least intrusive crease on a foldable and not an issue in real-life use, according to 9to5Mac. The roundup also noted that many apps have not yet been updated, which in the worst case leaves an iPhone layout stranded in the middle of a mostly black inner display. Returning to Touch ID from Face ID was described as a significant compromise; reviewers said they had not become used to it in a week and would prefer Face ID.

Fold testing produced measurable changes. Joanna Stern’s tests found that after tens of thousands of folds the hinge became stiffer rather than looser, a change measurable with a strain gauge after 32,000 folds but not noticeable in normal use, 9to5Mac reported. HTX Studio measured the crease at 48 microns deep and less than 0.1 degrees of slope when new. After 3,000 folds, the depth increased to 167 microns and the slope to 1.24 degrees, bringing it closer to other foldables after the same number of tests.

In the roundup’s bottom-line comments, one reviewer called the Duo one of the most early-adopter Apple products tested in a long time and said it was easy to imagine a second generation that is lighter, has Face ID, a better inner camera, a telephoto camera, a lower price and no longer runs hot. Another reviewer credited Apple’s first foldable with fresh ideas that mostly fix flaws built into the folding design rather than push the phone experience forward, and argued that the two screens’ aspect ratios work against each other: improving the outer screen makes the inner screen a large empty square, while favoring the inner screen leaves a passport-like outer screen that is hard to grip.

Editor's Summary

Foldy brings the iPhone Duo’s StandBy mode to Android foldables with automatic detection and more than 50 paid display options. Reviewers surveyed by 9to5Mac call the iPhone Duo the best foldable phone available, while pointing to weight, app compatibility, Touch ID and crease durability as compromises. Fold tests show the crease deepens measurably after thousands of folds, though reviewers say it remains unnoticeable in normal use.