Apple has a track record of waiting until the kinks get worked out before it tries its own hand at new devices, but hands-on videos of the iPhone Duo are already starting to show that Apple suffers from some of the same pain points other manufacturers like Samsung do, like the beloved screen crease.
Samsung has faced some backlash over the years as its continued to develop the Galaxy Z Fold line, as it rightfully should. Flaws exist on these $1,800+ phones, like an ever-present visible crease down the hinge line on the inner display or a less-than-invisible under-display camera.
It turns out Apple hasn’t been entirely successful at perfecting those flaws in its own design. Early hands-on videos are already starting to go live after Apple’s event in Cupertino, and more are very much on the way. Videos like this one from Brian Tong show some interesting details Apple’s keynote left out.
For one, the iPhone Duo’s inner screen is anti-reflective, but it comes off as matte more than anything. It’s a massive contrast from the outer display, which is made from Ceramic Shield 2. Sitting in stark contrast to that matte inner display is the under-display camera, which Apple showed off several times during its keynote. It’s something Samsung dropped from the Galaxy Z Fold design when it launched the latest models, for one reason or another.
The iPhone Duo’s under-display camera has no matte finish, likely because it functions as a Face ID sensor. That change in finish only serves to highlight a camera that’s supposed to be hidden from view.
Of course, it was never going to be completely hidden, and Apple’s pre-release footage and renders rightfully showed off a camera that was clearly hiding under an area of fewer pixels. Samsung used the same approach in the Galaxy Z Fold 7, but it’s always been just as noticeable. In reality, the camera seems far more noticeable because of the differing reflectivity.
Beyond that, we get a good look at the iPhone Duo’s inner screen crease. It was expected Apple would refine its foldable’s inner display design so a crease would be far less visible than current Android options, but the crease looks just as visible as it does on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra. Apple is using a two-layer flexible glass, which helps prevent a buildup in tension that would cause materials to bind up in the middle.
Still, the crease is a factual aspect of the iPhone Duo. That isn’t to say Apple hasn’t done a good job of hiding it, but it’s an unfortunate aspect of foldable phones for the time being.
The new foldable’s specs also reveal its IP68 water and dust resistant rating is also expected to be temporary, similar to the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold.
If Apple excels anywhere with the iPhone Duo its in how it designed iOS 27 around the new phone. Compared to where Android and One UI are in their respective builds, Apple’s approach feels much more purposeful for a phone that forces you to look at it a different way. It’s only a matter of time before Android manufacturers begin to copy some of these UX design choices. It introduces welcome competition.
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