Jeff Richardson spent an hour in-store with the iPhone Duo and canceled his preorder. In The New York Times, Brian X. Chen called it a “funky, so-so smartphone” — but also predicted that commuters and business travelers would love the device.
As I noted in my iPhone Duo review roundup, opinions on the Duo run the gamut. Nearly every reviewer seems to agree that the phones are cool and clever and feats of engineering. Some people think the iPhone Duo is more fun than traditional iPhones. Most owners I’ve spoken to, or who have posted thoughts about their new $2000-and-up hardware mention tradeoffs or hefty “buts” in their analyses.
I don’t mind big buts, for what it’s worth.
But… it’s a phone that plenty of new owners are delighted by, and that many folks also consider decidedly not for them.
That’s okay.
There’s not much point in a product line of phones that everyone wants equally. It’s actually smart and reasonable for Apple to offer a line-up of iPhones that target different people with different aesthetics, preferences, and budgets. If you — like me — don’t crave an iPhone Duo, you’re not missing out. I remain intrigued to see what an iPhone Duo 2 or 3 might look like, and how Apple might address its form factor or today’s UI affordances.
I actually think that in many ways the iPhone 18 Pro vs. iPhone Duo lineup makes more sense than, say, the iPhone 17 vs. iPhone 17 Pro lineup did a year ago. Bigger differences — in price, features, and form factor — help customers decide what really matters to them.
I’m happy for my Duo-owning friends who are thrilled with their purchases. We can like different things! There’s nothing wrong with loving the Duo, warts and all, and there’s nothing wrong with not wanting one.
