iPad mini Used as Stand-In to Preview iPhone Duo Experience
A 9to5Mac writer used an iPad mini as a substitute phone to approximate the upcoming iPhone Duo’s large-screen experience.
The writer said the iPad mini is normally used mainly as an ebook reader for library books borrowed through the Libby app, because those books cannot be read on a Kindle in the UK. The device had little other use, and the writer admitted to feeling some guilt that such a capable device had such a limited role. The temporary additional task was to mirror the expected iPhone Duo experience as closely as possible, since the screen sizes and shapes are similar.
According to the column, the iPhone Duo’s interior display is 7.6 inches, while the iPad mini’s is 8.3 inches. The writer noted that the difference is not huge, and because the iPhone Duo has much smaller bezels, the gap in screen size is less noticeable than might be expected.
To make the comparison, the writer installed the same apps used on the iPhone and arranged them in a similar layout. An iPhone Wi-Fi hotspot provided connectivity, allowing the iPad to be used in many situations where the iPhone would otherwise have been used. The writer also said the iPad mini can offer a better experience in one way because it runs iPadOS rather than iOS, providing more flexible multitasking. However, the writer is not a fan of windowing on such a small screen and primarily uses apps either full screen or split screen, which makes the interface very similar to the Duo’s.
Because the iPad mini is not pocketable, the writer took it along only when carrying a backpack, which happened about half the time when out and about. The column acknowledged that the iPad does not support all iPhone Duo features, so the test was only a rough approximation. Still, the writer said it provided a good sense of what it is like to have access to this size of screen in a phone, and the writer enjoyed it.
According to the column, the biggest impact came not when switching to something new but when switching back. After using the iPad mini, returning to the iPhone 18 Pro made the phone’s screen seem extremely small. The experiment did nothing to reduce the writer’s desire for the upcoming iPhone Duo.