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Door staff@engadget.com (Filipe Espósito) - 20 Oct 2026
Yes, the iPhone Duo is the most expensive iPhone in the lineup today — but that doesn't mean it has the best hardware in every respect. As we've previously covered, one of its biggest drawbacks is its cameras. Like midrange iPhones, the Duo has two rear cameras and no dedicated telephoto lens. You can still get a 2x "optical-quality" zoom thanks to a digital crop of the main 48-megapixel sensor, but it's nowhere near the quality of the zoom lens found on the iPhone 18 Pro. The front-facing camera also has a lower resolution compared to the latest iPhones, with only 12 megapixels instead of 18 megapixels. There's no variable aperture on the main lens either — that feature remains exclusive to the iPhone 18 Pro models.
Unlocking the iPhone Duo is also different, because it relies on Touch ID on the side button instead of Face ID. It's not exactly a problem, but it might take some time to get used to. The Action Button is gone, too, so you'll be limited to silencing your phone or accessing quick controls through the Control Center. Camera Control is still there, though, so you can still quickly open your favorite camera app with just a click.
Then there's the issue of apps. Apple has optimized iOS 27 to take advantage of the new foldable form factor, and apps can do the same. This means that menus and apps can automatically snap to fit two halves of the screen when you bend the hinge, for instance. However, when it comes to third-party apps, developers will have to update them so they, too, fill the entire screen of the iPhone Duo. Some popular apps, such as Netflix, Zoom and Slack, will already have updates available for the iPhone Duo on launch day, but most developers still have work to do. Expect some of your apps to look a little odd on the iPhone Duo for a while — some may appear stretched, while others may have black bars.
Unlocking the iPhone Duo is also different, because it relies on Touch ID on the side button instead of Face ID. It's not exactly a problem, but it might take some time to get used to. The Action Button is gone, too, so you'll be limited to silencing your phone or accessing quick controls through the Control Center. Camera Control is still there, though, so you can still quickly open your favorite camera app with just a click.
Then there's the issue of apps. Apple has optimized iOS 27 to take advantage of the new foldable form factor, and apps can do the same. This means that menus and apps can automatically snap to fit two halves of the screen when you bend the hinge, for instance. However, when it comes to third-party apps, developers will have to update them so they, too, fill the entire screen of the iPhone Duo. Some popular apps, such as Netflix, Zoom and Slack, will already have updates available for the iPhone Duo on launch day, but most developers still have work to do. Expect some of your apps to look a little odd on the iPhone Duo for a while — some may appear stretched, while others may have black bars.