The first foldable iPhone, called the iPhone Duo, has received early reviews from English-speaking tech bloggers. As reviewers noted, the Apple smartphone still has a visible fold line of the internal screen and the front camera hidden underneath it at a certain angle, and also has a number of other shortcomings.
In particular, one of the most famous tech bloggers in the world, Marques Brownlee (MKBHD), spoke out about the first problems with the iPhone Duo.
He generally praised the smartphone, jokingly saying that it “could” (in youth slang “mog” is something like “eclipses”) the recently released Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 in a similar form factor. The difference is mainly felt due to small features in the iPhone Duo, such as smooth animation when unfolding, the blogger believes.
However, Brownlee was definitely not satisfied with the quality of the internal front camera. The American was invited to Apple headquarters for a presentation, and he had the opportunity to try out the device immediately after the event on September 9.
“The lighting was good, but the video quality was pretty poor,” Brownlee said.
He added that the placement of iOS controls on the right side also raises questions. Brownlee reported that he did not find an option to move them to the left for left-handed users.
Both in Brownlee's video from the demo area and in another well-known reviewer, Brian Tong's, from a certain angle, the fold line and the front camera lens hidden under the screen are visible on the inner screen.
Brownlee noted that, to the naked eye, these elements are well hidden by the new matte coating that Apple used, but his colleague Linus Sebastian (Linus Tech Tips, LTT) urged users to prepare for “micro-scratches” in this regard.
According to Sebastian, the problem is common to all folding smartphones, since the internal screen cannot be protected with glass like the external one. The reviewer believes that a certain polymer that Apple has developed for the internal screen is unlikely to change the situation.
Sebastian also noted that the new 1:1.4 aspect ratio, which is used in the iPhone Duo on both screens, can create some inconvenience when using the smartphone when folded. The Canadian drew attention to the fact that during the presentation, Apple never showed how to type on the front screen of the iPhone Duo.
“Yes, because they know that the lack of screen real estate in a vertical position means that when playing videos, working with text and simple browsing, you will feel like you are using a BlackBerry 8300,” the tech blogger suggested, recalling the 2007 smartphone.
Sebastian added that the company may thereby be setting the trend for the use of voice input and the abandonment of manual typing. He compared the situation to how Apple removed the headphone jack from the iPhone, which led to the popularization of wireless audio devices.
Pre-orders in the US for the iPhone Duo will open on October 16, with sales beginning on October 23. The price for the basic version with 256 GB will be $1,999, and the smartphone will be available in two colors – Star White and Night Sky.
