First tests of the foldable iPhone Duo: hinge, display and cameras
Ahead of the launch of iPhone Duo, YouTube blogger Joanna Stern published a detailed video review and stress test of the new device, priced from $1999. Over the course of a week, the journalist tested the smartphone in everyday situations, focusing on three aspects: hinge durability, the flexible display and the cameras.
Hinge
The smartphone’s titanium hinge consists of more than 100 components. To test its durability, Joanna Stern put the mechanism through its paces on a specialized robotic rig. During testing, the device was folded and unfolded 32, lazes 640 times at an angle of about 130°, equivalent to roughly a year of normal use.
After the stress test, the hinge still moved smoothly and had even become slightly stiffer than on a new device. The design holds the smartphone securely at a set angle when partially unfolded, allowing it to be used as an improvised tripod for filming.
Display
The 7.6-inch internal Super Retina XDR display has a matte nano-texture coating. It reduces glare and makes the crease down the center almost unnoticeable. It is mostly visible under bright, direct lighting.
However, the test revealed another design feature: the area of the display directly above the hinge was soft and pliable. When pressed firmly with a finger, the protective polymer layer flexes noticeably inward. Experts believe Apple may have opted for a more flexible material instead of rigid ultra-thin glass to reduce mechanical stress on the display when it is folded.
Cameras
The ultra-thin body required compromises compared with the iPhone 18 Pro. The iPhone Duo’s main camera system consists of two 48-megapixel cameras: a wide-angle and an ultra-wide-angle camera. There is no separate telephoto lens with optical zoom.
In good daylight, photo quality is close to that of the iPhone 18 Pro, but the difference becomes more noticeable at dusk and when using digital zoom: photos show more noise.
On the other hand, the external display lets users take selfies and vlogs with the main 48-megapixel cameras while monitoring the shot. The 4-megapixel under-display FaceTime camera is noticeably inferior in quality: images are less detailed and it is best suited primarily for video calls.
