Nothing CEO Calls iPhone Duo a Waste of Money as Pre-Order Scams Emerge

Pei, also a co-founder of OnePlus, made the comments in a short YouTube video, according to TechRadar. He pointed to the iPhone Duo's lack of a telephoto camera and Face ID, and said it ships with a worse front-facing camera than the iPhone 18 Pro. He summarized: "it's $2,000 and costs more than an iPhone Pro with fewer features… so you're paying more and you're getting less." TechRadar said he is not wrong, though the extra screen gives the Duo at least one feature not found on Pro models.

Pei also highlighted the Duo's folding animation as what most people seem excited about, rather than its hinge or cameras. He said that while it is a nice animation, "it's just an animation at the end of the day," meaning it is not really a reason to buy the phone. He credited Apple's attention to even the smallest details, such as the folding animation, for why the Duo is likely to do well.

TechRadar's writer said his personal view is that the phone's likely success is more simply because it has an Apple logo on the front and because many iPhone users will be more likely to use a foldable that runs iOS than one that runs Android. Either way, he wrote, criticisms could certainly be leveled at the phone's specs and value.

Despite the criticism, the iPhone Duo is expected to be in high demand when pre-orders open on Friday, with TechRadar saying it has a good chance to be the best-selling foldable phone ever. It might also be in short supply. Analyst Jeff Pu suggested, via 9to5Mac, that "hinge constraints" are causing production slowdowns.

Some buyers may be tempted to take drastic steps to get an iPhone Duo on day one, TechRadar reported. Pre-order bots are being advertised to help purchase the phone, and some even claim to secure multiple units, which might appeal to resellers.

Francis Fong Po-kiu, honorary president of the Hong Kong Information Technology Federation, told The Standard that "even if you succeed in securing the phone, the follow-up cost, including stolen personal or credit card data, is extremely high." TechRadar noted that such bots are typically not free to use and are likely to require payment information to place the order, putting users at risk of theft if the developers are unscrupulous. They could also include malware that gives access to other sensitive information on a device.

TechRadar said the bots are simply not worth the risk, and Malwarebytes pointed out that buyers should also watch out for fake pre-order pages. Instead, buyers should order the iPhone Duo directly from Apple or other reputable retailers. To get ahead, they can input their details ahead of time using Apple's "Get Ready" feature and place their order as soon as pre-orders open at 5am PT / 8am ET / 1pm BST on Friday, 16th October.