Austin Mann’s iPhone Duo Review

Austin Mann:

Honestly, the idea of a folding iPhone didn’t immediately appeal to me. I usually like smaller devices, but when I first started playing with the Duo in September, I realized it’s really something special and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a review unit from Apple. The iPhone 18 Pro remains the most powerful camera in the lineup, and though the Duo also has an excellent camera, where it really shines is everything around the photograph: planning, editing and sharing.

There are many reasons to prefer any of the regular (“uno”) iPhones to the Duo, but for almost everyone, the camera is not one of them. The iPhone Duo’s ultrawide 0.5× lens is either identical or nearly identical to the iPhone 18 Pro’s. It’s nice to have the Pro’s 4×/8× telephoto third lens when you really need it. And, yes, the Pro’s 1×/2× main camera is definitely the best one that Apple makes.

But just like with the iPhone Air — whose one-lens camera I love — the Duo’s 1×/2× main camera is really good. Just look at the photos Mann captured with it. Gorgeous. The camera system is not a reason not to buy a Duo.

(That said, when Mann captured this stylish photo of me at Apple’s “Pro and Tell” event in Los Angeles last month, he was carrying his iPhone 18 Pro.)

★ Wednesday, 11 November 2026