iPhone Duo hands-on videos show split keyboard and multitasking as early testers assess hinge and display

9to5Mac reported that a variety of hands-on videos have surfaced online showing the software keyboard, app multitasking, camera features, and more. An Instagram reel shared by Flourish Planner demonstrated one-handed typing on the exterior display and typing on the folding display. Her impression, according to 9to5Mac, was that texting is easier than expected, especially on the outer display, and that holding the unfolded iPhone Duo vertically offers a great typing experience. In horizontal mode on the folding display, the Duo offers a split keyboard interface, with half of the keyboard condensed under each thumb on either side of the screen.

The same account showed the Duo’s book-reading experience, with the device partly folded and a page-flip animation intended to replicate a real book. A video by Rich DeMuro demonstrated multitasking and new landscape views for system apps; when the iPhone Duo is held in landscape orientation, content appears on the right and sidebars on the left, similar to an iPad layout, 9to5Mac reported. A GadgetMatch post showed camera capabilities, gaming, StandBy mode, and other features. The iPhone Duo’s exclusive camera features appeared to be a hit among early testers.

In a separate hands-on published by Android Authority, a writer who spent a few minutes with the iPhone Duo said that even as an Android user he was blown away. The article noted that Android enthusiasts have lived with foldables since Royole released the FlexPai in December 2018, and that Apple is over seven years late to the category, but the brief time with the new device suggested Apple might have a winner.

Android Authority described the iPhone Duo as dense but not heavy. At 254g, it is heavier than the iPhone 18 Pro Max at 249g, which the article called the heaviest non-folding iPhone Apple has built to date. The writer expected a heavy brick but found that most of the Duo’s weight is concentrated in the palm, so it does not feel heavy or unwieldy like a top-heavy, large phone. By contrast, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, the Duo’s closest competitor, weighs 201g and feels light and flickable, while the iPhone Duo demands more attention and energy to handle. The Duo’s heft gave the writer more confidence that it would survive an accidental drop without a case than the Fold 8.

When unfolded, the iPhone Duo is very thin and reminded the Android Authority writer of the iPhone Air, making it easy to see how Apple used the iPhone Air as a stepping stone to the Duo’s design. Opening and shutting the phone requires a bit of intention, with a hinge that feels smooth yet solid. The hinge mechanism has enough tension to let the Duo stop precisely at any angle within its folding range without give, something the Galaxy Z Fold 8 lacked because it could stop only fully open or fully closed. The Duo produces a soft “thud” when closed, thanks to magnets along the frame edge, and the writer said you can just about feel the magnets keeping the display folded shut.

The phone remains easy to open, and the beveled frame plays a role, though the writer was not a fan of the pointy left corners when the device is closed, imagining they could dig into a palm over long-term use. He said those corners could have been rounded more, as they are on the Pixel 11 Pro Fold and OnePlus Open. The opening-and-closing transition animation, which Apple showed on stage during its keynote, looked dreamy in person, according to the article. The writer felt the animation could get old after a hundred openings and closings, but he called the honeymoon period very sweet and predicted Android brands will copy the transition.

The star of the iPhone Duo, Android Authority wrote, is its 7.6-inch Super Retina XDR folding display with a 1.42:1 aspect ratio and near-creaseless design. Viewed head-on, the crease is not visible at all, and it is very difficult to spot even at extreme angles; the writer could observe it only by holding the Duo much farther away and deliberately shifting it to an extreme viewing angle. A nano-textured matte-finish layer on the folding display diffuses light and reduces reflections, making the crease hard to see, and the writer said he was jealous that Android brands had not thought of the solution over the past eight generations.

The inner display is not perfect. The article said the matte finish may take getting used to, as colors can look a little washed out and less punchy than on a glossy, reflective display. The under-display camera on the inner display is also a lot more visible, with a fairly easy-to-spot shift in display pixel density where the camera sits, according to Android Authority. The iPhone Duo is scheduled to arrive in October.