There are plenty of non-Apple foldables out there, but finding a perfect match is tricky.
While Apple’s first-ever foldable phone is the subject of plenty of attention, the Cupertino tech giant was actually well behind Android phone makers to the category. The Duo makes a strong entrance, but with major players like Samsung, Google and Motorola at it for years, there is no shortage of foldable smartphones in this day and age.
Each of these three competitors offers a book-style foldable phone, like the Duo, which essentially turns any smartphone into a mini tablet. As they’re larger than the alternative flip-phone designs, they’re a great choice for multitasking, reading, streaming shows and more.
Even when we limit the focus of this article on the passport-style options, there’s no clear-cut Android counterpart for the Duo. Each of the candidates differs on size, cameras, durability and more. Still, we can look at specs from the iPhone Duo’s biggest competitors and do our best to determine which is the closest match.
Display sizes, cameras and durability
Let’s start with display sizes. The Duo’s 5.4-inch outer screen and 7.6-inch inner display sit in the middle of the pack. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the nearest match, with its 7.6-inch interior display and 5.5-inch cover screen.
Meanwhile, Google goes bigger than both, with the Pixel 11 Pro Fold boasting an 8-inch inner display and a 6.5-inch outer screen. Motorola’s Razr Fold is the biggest of the bunch, with a 6.6-inch cover screen and a nearly 8.1-inch inner display.
These three smartphones are all lighter than the Duo, which weighs in at 9 ounces. For reference, the Z Fold 8 is 7.09 ounces, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold is 8.4 ounces and the Razr Fold is 8.6 ounces.
As for cameras, the Duo’s 12-megapixel Center Stage front camera and pair of 48MP rear cameras are narrowly outmatched by the Z Fold 8. Samsung’s latest foldable features two 50MP cameras, but the one up front is 10MP. In some regard, the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold is a close match, with a 48MP main camera like Apple’s. The big difference is that Google’s flagship foldable also includes a 10.8MP telephoto lens, while the Duo lacks one.
On sheer megapixel count alone, Motorola’s Razr Fold outdoes the others with 50MP main, ultrawide and telephoto cameras and a 20MP cover selfie camera.
Considering these devices tend to cost a lot more than the average phone, durability might (rightfully) be one of your biggest concerns. The Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold is the only one of the Android foldables we’re comparing to match Apple’s IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Razr Fold land at IP48 and IP48/IP49 respectively.
Battery life and starting price
Battery life is trickier to compare, since Apple hasn’t disclosed the Duo’s precise battery capacity, only that it can endure up to 24 hours of mixed use on a charge. We have more concrete numbers with the Pixel 11 Pro Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 8, as we know they have 4,806mAh and 4,800mAh batteries respectively. The Razr Fold features a 6,000mAh battery, which Motorola says is “the largest available in a foldable.”
Starting prices are closer than you’d expect. The Duo starts at $1,999.99 for 256GB, while the Galaxy Z Fold 8 (256GB), Pixel 11 Pro Fold (256GB) and Razr Fold (512GB) all start at $1,899.99. As for storage, Google and Samsung offer the closest capacities to Apple, with both their foldables available in a 1TB option. However, neither offers a 2TB configuration like the Duo.
Of options readily available in the US, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is about as close as it gets to the iPhone Duo at first glance, with a similarly sized 7.6-inch display, two 50MP rear sensors and a slightly less-sharp selfie camera.
Beyond the big names
Outside of these major players, it’s worth mentioning that Xiaomi revealed its 18 Fold just days before the Duo, touting it as the brand’s first “mid-size” foldable. Its display measures 7.68 inches when unfolded, combined with a 5.38-inch outer display. These measurements come very close to the Z Fold 8 and iPhone Duo. The sad part? Like most Xiaomi smartphones, the 18 Fold isn’t distributed stateside.
