The iPhone Duo has worse cameras than the iPhone 18 Pro, it costs dramatically more, and it is still the most fun I have had taking photos and video with an iPhone in years. The cameras are closer to a base iPhone than a Pro, but the folding form factor changes how you actually use the phone, and for vlogging in particular it does something no other iPhone can do. If you live in Apple Log and need a telephoto lens, the 18 Pro is still the better camera, but if you are feeling stuck in your photography and filmmaking and want more joy, the iPhone Duo is a lot of fun!
Worse Cameras, But The MOST Fun I’ve Had In Years
For the past 19 years Apple has released an iPhone every year, and in most of those years the camera was the headline feature, because better photo and video quality is one of the biggest reasons people upgrade. This year is different, because the iPhone Duo has more in common with a base iPhone, at least in the camera department.
You only get two cameras on the back, one main and one ultra wide, which means:
- No telephoto option
- No variable aperture
- No Apple Log 2, no ProRes RAW, and heck, not even regular ProRes
- No RAW photos
From a camera perspective this is not a very exciting phone, especially whenever you consider the price, which is dramatically more than the iPhone 18 Pro that has a lot more innovation in that department. But, and I feel really weird saying this, I have not had this much fun capturing photos with an iPhone in years. The entire reason for that comes down to one thing: the form factor.
Yes, folding phones have been around for a long time. Samsung is on, like, their eighth generation, and there are triple folding phones and rolling phones too. But Apple really nailed the usability of the very first generation of the iPhone Duo.
Not Sponsored By Apple (I Bought It)
For the sake of ethics, I want you to know this is not paid or sponsored by Apple. I bought this phone with my own money, because my wife was due for an upgrade. She is rocking an iPhone 15 Pro right now, so she is either getting the iPhone 18 Pro or the iPhone Duo, and I honestly have not decided which yet, because it is a real struggle to choose between them. If you want the other side of that decision, I have a full filmmaker’s review of the iPhone 18 Pro too.
The iPhone 6 Plus Feeling ALL Over Again
The iPhone Duo is the first folding phone I have ever used, and my first impression took me straight back to the first time I used an iPhone 6 Plus. I realize that is a very weird and old reference, but that was really the first big iPhone Apple made, and the jump in screen size was so noticeable that it felt like a futuristic device.
I have that feeling again with the Duo: a smaller screen on the front, and then a truly massive screen once you unfold it. It is such a satisfying experience.
Some Of The BEST Screens Apple Has Made
I want to talk video and photo, but I do have to say these are some of the best screens Apple has made. Just like their other newer screens, it is excellent, with fantastic color reproduction, so if you are taking or editing photos and videos, this is a great screen to do it on.
I am also someone who loves big screens. I edit on a 52-inch Dell U5226KW ultrawide, and I wrote up why I think Dell’s 52-inch ultrawide is a monster for video editing. With the Pro Max, we are really pushing up against the maximum size people will put in a pocket, so it makes sense that a folding phone would be the future.
The unfolded screen really excites me for productivity, because I love the thought of having more controls on screen for a more professional workflow. I can’t wait to see how app developers take advantage of it, especially in photo and video editing.
My ONE Big Complaint (Lefties Beware)
I do have one big complaint about the Duo screen, and it is not the fold. I have zero issues with the unfolded screen. My issue is the orientation Apple chose for the interface, which really favors right handed people. The dock sits on the right side when unfolded, and there is no way to move it to the left.
I am left handed. On a regular iPhone that is not a problem, because the dock is at the bottom, but on the Duo every button is way over on the right, which forces me to use my non-dominant hand, and it is really annoying. I am not expecting a left handed version, but I would love to see software updates that better accommodate left handed people.
I tried holding the phone upside down, which puts the dock on the left, and it is actually not bad. But the screen doesn’t rotate, and it feels like I am risking dropping a very expensive phone by holding it that way.
The Cameras Are More BASE iPhone Than Pro
From a photo and video standpoint, the Duo has a lot more in common with a base model iPhone than a Pro. There is no Apple Log 2, no telephoto camera, no adjustable aperture, and the selfie camera is lower resolution. It is missing a lot of the features professional photographers and filmmakers use and love.
That is a total bummer. But the folding form factor still adds something to the experience that, for some people, may outweigh the extra benefits of a regular iPhone 18 Pro. Let me explain.
Filming With An iPad, Without Being THAT Person
Have you ever been at a wedding, filming one, photographing one or just attending, and seen grandma or grandpa or crazy aunt Vivian with their iPad out taking photos, usually blocking the aisle? Really annoying, right? But have you ever taken a photo or video with an iPad yourself? It is kind of awesome if you are the one doing it. The screen is massive and you can see so much detail. It is awful for everybody else, but if you are the one holding it, there’s a sick pleasure there.
So what if you could have that iPad experience for photography and filmmaking, without the cringe of being that person? That is where the Duo comes in. Unfolded, the screen is almost the size of an iPad mini, and it is a genuinely great experience for photo and video. It is immersive, you can see everything, and there is no squinting to make sure everything is in focus.
The Folding Stand For Group Photos
Are you used to propping your phone up in some weird way to take a group photo, or carrying a stand or one of those tripod grips? Never mind! Just partially fold the phone, set it down, and let it take the group photo. That is awesome.
Duo Preview Is The BIGGEST Deal For Filmmakers
Here is my favorite trick, and for filmmakers I think it is the biggest reason to pay attention to this phone. Because it folds, you can film yourself with the 48 megapixel main camera on the back and use the outer screen as your monitor. Apple calls this Duo Preview.
Instead of vlogging on the selfie camera, you get to use the best camera on the phone pointed at your face, and you can still see your framing and focus. For vlogs and talking head videos, this is a huge deal!
Heck, the teleprompter app I use was already updated with Duo support, so I can film myself on the main camera while reading my script. It is really impressive!
The CATCHES: A 4 Megapixel Selfie Camera
Like I mentioned, the Duo is missing the pro features you get on something like an iPhone 18 Pro, and there is more. The selfie camera is built into the folding screen, which is so cool because it is hidden, but it is significantly worse than a regular iPhone selfie camera. We are talking only four megapixels, so I would not use it for anything other than FaceTime calls.
No Telephoto, So Zoom Is Just A CROP
There is a catch with zoom too. With no telephoto camera, whenever you zoom, the phone is cropping in on the 48 megapixel main sensor instead of switching to a dedicated lens. It also only zooms to about 6x for video, which is a big drop from the iPhone 18 Pro when it comes to sharpness and detail.
If you aren’t zooming in a ton, though, the cameras still feel like good quality. I have never tested an iPhone 17e, but viewers have told me the sensor on the Duo is very similar to that one.
Manual White Balance And Focus TRACKING
Here is a weird addition. I just said the Duo is missing Pro features, which is true, but at the same time the native camera app supports new things like manual white balance controls and tap to focus tracking. Older iPhones like the iPhone 17 Pro did not get those in a software update; you only get them on the 18 Pro, which is one of the reasons I called it out in my iPhone 18 Pro vs 17 Pro comparison.
It Still LOOKS Like An iPhone
At the end of the day, this phone creates photos and videos that feel like they were taken with an iPhone, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But one of the benefits of the Pro iPhones is that you can shape the image so it doesn’t look like it came from a cell phone, and that is what a lot of creative people want.
So Should You BUY The iPhone Duo?
I think it comes down to your preferences. If you don’t use a lot of the Pro iPhone features, you may be perfectly happy with an iPhone Duo.
For me, I love filming in Apple Log. I do it for literally all of my videos, because it removes a lot of the digital sharpening Apple adds in the native camera app (here is how to film in Apple Log on an iPhone if you have never tried it). So it is really hard for me to let that go. At the same time, the usability of the Duo with its massive screen is really appealing, so I have a decision to make.
I am not a two phone guy. I am not paying for two lines and doing that weird handoff thing Apple announced that a lot of carriers charge extra for. It is a little too excessive.
Apple, Please Make A Duo PRO
What I really want is an iPhone Duo Pro, and you can’t tell me Apple doesn’t plan on making one. They are already charging $2,000 for the Duo, so why not a $2,500 Pro model that adds all of the iPhone Pro camera features? RAW photos, Apple Log, a telephoto camera, et cetera. I think photographers and videographers would totally buy it.
For now, I have been lured in by the brand new shininess of the Duo and I am gonna be using it for a while, but I can’t help feeling I will end up going back to the iPhone 18 Pro, and that may happen to you as well. Are you buying an iPhone Duo, or sticking with a more traditionally shaped phone? Let me know in the comments on the video!
I am working on more videos about the Duo as well as filmmaking with the iPhone 18 Pro, and you can find the rest in my iPhone filmmaking playlist. And if you want to get better at video editing, my free Edit Videos Like A Pro guide shows you the biggest rules I follow as a video editor. It is completely free to download.