The iPhone Duo is my new favourite iPhone but is it for you?

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 6 — “What’s this? What’s this?” Reviewing the iPhone Duo feels a lot like being Jack Skellington in The Nightmare Before Christmas.

The iPhone 4 was my first iPhone, won in a random lucky draw during a telco iPhone launch party.

Apple finally making a folding phone feels like a necessary evolution though sometimes I wish mobile phones these days would embrace more whimsy.

Motorola’s rotating phones, Nokia’s Communicator and the N90, those were some of the fun designs of yesteryear.

While the iPhone Duo’s form factor isn’t anything new, it does allow for fun.

Within the first two weeks of its launch, new apps popped up to take advantage of the phone’s setup — a front screen and an internal folded display that opens up into a larger screen.

Having an Apple Store in Malaysia is the best opportunity to try iPhones before you buy. — Picture by Raymond Manuel

I feel there was a missed opportunity to do more with the back screen where the rear camera is located but adding another display there would probably jack up the price and make it more fragile.

I was at The Weeknd’s concert in Bukit Jalil and I took along the iPhone 18 Pro Max with the iPhone Duo, but the larger phone felt comically huge after weeks with the smaller device.

While the 18 Pro Max took better pictures, it was easier to edit them in the Duo and on the train rides back and forth, I could handle emails, read e-books, proof the book I’m putting out while the bigger phone stayed in my bag until photo time.

Taking pictures with the iPhone Duo is a slightly awkward affair; it would be nice if I could take selfies with the rear camera more easily but I find most people were charmed by the Kid Cue animation that you can select to play on the outer display when taking photos.

The iPhone Duo camera is serviceable though selfies are an awkward affair. — Picture composite by Erna Mahyuni

I did miss the better zoom of the Pro models as well as how much easier it was to tweak settings like f-stop though I do think there needs to be a better way to do it across all models.

Still, the 48MP Fusion camera does capture fairly sharp photos with decent lowlight performance and being able to edit the photo with Pixelmator or Snapseed does make it easier for work-related things.

Yes, the absence of Apple LOG, ProRes and ProRAW is a puzzling decision where the iPhone Duo’s camera is involved but maybe they will come back… in the next IPhone Duo.

For everything else, though, the iPhone Duo just feels easier in the hand, more pocketable and portable and yes, practical in unexpected ways.

Like the Pro models it also has the latest A20 Pro chip which means excellent performance all round — though I need more games to be optimised for the Duo already because the larger 7.6-inch folding display feels like it’s made for gaming.

And no, I have not managed to break the screen, the crease hasn’t impacted my viewing and on my next long train trip, I foresee this being great for watching Netflix or my Apple TV library.

I get the same all-day battery as with the iPhone 18 Pro Max surprisingly but the front camera placement being in the upper-right corner made me mistake it for a button too many times.

One thing that I wish Apple did include in the official cases was space to attach a strap because boy did I miss the security of a strap around my wrist while holding the phone.

Now, Apple made much about the support for the Apple Pencil, specifically the USB-C model (that I got on sale from Shopee for this review) and like many things about this phone, it is slightly awkward.

The Pencil is longer than the phone and while it does magnetically attach to the phone you need to charge it via a cable, which is also how you pair it to said phone.

The Apple Pencil USB-C is a little awkward but more useful than expected. — Picture by Erna Mahyuni

Compared to a third-party stylus I have on-hand, the Pencil is easier to use and I did enjoy doodling on Procreate Pocket on the outside of the phone.

Best way not to lose your Pencil is by hooking it up to your phone I guess but I do wish it supported the Pro Pencil and was pressure-sensitive.

I do find the Duo a great primary device and for people who write, email, edit photo and video, commute and read, the iPhone Duo is a more compact and versatile hybrid device.

The iPad has its uses — professional artists would likely stick to the Pro and the better Pro Pencil and the iPad mini might suit those who like a pocketable tablet.

Where the iPhone Duo shines is doing a better job at productivity tasks than a tablet and for some, might even let you keep your laptop at home.

Seeing iPhone Duo users embrace the phone’s quirks with apps that make it mimic a cassette player, Nintendo DS and even books has turned the phone into a fashionable yet very useful accessory.

More app developers are embracing the interesting form factor. — Picture by Erna Mahyuni

Now, is it for you?

If you want to travel light and still be able to do most of your work in a pinch, with telephoto over 2x being a “nice-to-have” and not a “must-have” and you can justify the investment, why not?

There are phones that cost much more than the Duo while being less pocketable and have apps that aren’t quite as fun to use so if it’s in your price range, head down to an Apple retailer to see it in-person to decide.

In December look out for my roundup of the best iPhone Duo-optimised apps and perhaps a deeper dive into optimised mobile workflows.

The Apple iPhone Duo is already available at official retailers with prices starting from RM9,499 for the 256GB with the 512GB, 1TB and 2TB models priced respectively at RM10,499, RM12,499 and RM15,499.

* This is the personal opinion of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.