iPhone Duo after one week: display defect, battery, apps

A week after the iPhone Duo went on sale, MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera revisited his review. He notes that images of Duos with a bright white line across one side of the inner display have circulated. Apple says the defect affects only a small number of units, according to MacRumors.

Barbera writes that no one at MacRumors has had a display crack. He also points to AI-generated photos in circulation, which make it hard to judge how many people are actually affected. Units with the hinge problem tend to break soon after purchase, so a Duo that is still fine after a week is not likely to have it.

Barbera finds the outer display small but useful for notifications, replies and scrolling apps and websites. He unfolds the phone for multitasking or longer messages, and likes watching video in portrait while using another app at the same time. The Touch ID sensor is easy to find, and Apple Watch unlock works much like Face ID.

Cameras are described as just okay, and heavy zoom users will likely miss a telephoto lens. Battery life sits between an iPhone 18 Pro and a Pro Max, and for most people it should last a full day.

Not every app has been updated for the Duo layout yet, though Barbera says it is improving. A Safari extension called Wider stretches the browser window to the edges of the outer display, which he calls a big improvement.

Barbera says the Duo is the most excited he has been about an iPhone in a long time, and he plans to keep using it despite missing a telephoto lens.