The iPhone Duo is officially available to pre-order, and that means we're one step closer to experiencing Apple's first foldable for ourselves. The fact that Apple is jumping into the world of foldable phones is a big deal, and it's practically guaranteed that other foldable phone makers will be watching the iPhone Duo with great interest.
By which I mean they're going to be looking for ways they can copy Apple and enhance their own foldable offerings. Phone development often seems like a cycle of companies constantly taking existing ideas and adapting them for their own devices. Apple does it, and in turn the iPhone's popularity means it's a popular target for plagiarists. Which has led to a shocking number of Android phones that feel like they're running a bootleg copy of iOS.
Needless to say, there are definitely some aspects of the iPhone Duo that will make their way to the foldables of the future. That's not necessarily a bad thing either, and here are the seven ways iPhone Duo could end up changing foldable phones for the better.
More wider foldables
We've already seen an influx of wider foldables ahead of the iPhone Duo's launch, and at least one wider non-folding phone, and that trend is likely to continue going forward. The last several years have seen phone companies tell us that bigger is better, but when it comes to foldables that might not necessarily be the case.
As we discovered with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, the passport-like design feels a lot better than the taller, book-ish shape of the Z Fold 8 Ultra. The slightly more compact nature of the phone also makes it more portable, and simpler to pull out and use — which has always been a point of contention with previous foldables. So, if foldable phone makers double down on using a similar design to iPhone Duo, I certainly won't be complaining.
Stylus support
The loss of stylus support on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is something that Samsung foldable fans have been complaining about ever since — and I'm on their side. I'm a big proponent of the fact that tablets work best when you're able to use some sort of stylus alongside the touchscreen. Apple clearly recognized that with the iPhone Duo, and I suspect that Samsung (and others) will figure that out pretty quickly.
So far the only other foldables that offer stylus support are the Motorola Razr Fold and the Oppo Find N series — both of which have their own specialized foldable-friendly stylii. But since iPhone Duo supports the same Apple Pencil (USB-C) as most recent iPads, I wouldn't be surprised if future foldables supported a stylus that also works with other devices.
More under display cameras
Again, this is something that Samsung pulled with the Galaxy Z Fold 7, though in this instance I wasn't really mad about it. Under-display cameras don't have a good reputation for quality, and the fact Apple has emphasized that its own option is strictly for use with FaceTime and video calling apps suggests it hasn't found a way to deal with that yet.
If Apple keeps the camera limited to video calls, where quality is less of an issue compared to taking photos, then it might not be such a bad feature to have. It certainly doesn't take much away from the inner screen after all. And considering other phone companies have dabbled with under-display cameras in the past, this may well prompt them to try again — though there may be some guardrails.
After all, having video calls on a larger screen makes sense, but there's only so many ways you need to be able to take photos with your phone.
New foldable screen designs
There have been no shortage of attempts to eliminate the crease running down the center of a foldable phone's display, and that work will no doubt continue regardless of Apple's thoughts on the topic. However, the way Apple has designed its screens could lead to some changes elsewhere.
Most notably, Apple has utilized a "nano-texture" coating on the Duo's large display, which is designed to minimise glare, and offers a matte surface in contrast to the typical glossy phone screens we're used to. That screen is also built to be more durable and scratch-resistant, which is always a fear I have with foldable screens. It's different to the point that this could be something we see adopted elsewhere, even if non-folding phones retain the same designs they always do.
Better durability
Apple didn't invent the IP68-rated foldable, but there are too many companies like Samsung that still disregard dust resistance. On top of that, Apple seems to have done a lot to bolster the durability of its first foldable, offering materials and design choices that we don't see on ordinary iPhones anymore.
The nano-texture coating on the foldable display is one prominent example, since it's designed to improve scratch resistance and ensure the normally fragile screen is as well-protected as it can be. The frame is likewise made of titanium, a material that phone companies have dabbled with in the past but quickly dropped — likely over cost concerns.
I have a suspicion that we will be seeing an influx of titanium designs and other durability enhancements in the near future. Which I definitely will not complain about.
Vapor chamber cooling
Vapor chambers have been showing up more and more in recent years, especially in high performance phones like Samsung's Galaxy S series and Apple's iPhones. Performance makes heat, and vapor chambers help disperse that heat to keep the phones performing better for longer.
Sadly foldable phones didn't get that memo, so phones like the Z Fold 8 have the same performance capabilities and no way to move the generated heat around. iPhone Duo does not fall into that trap, and Apple even added hardware to help heat traverse the central hinge and radiate away more safely. That means the performance benchmarks could be a lot better than we're used to on other dual-screen devices.
It's not all down to the vapor chamber, and the sheer power of the A20 Pro will be doing a lot of heavy lifting. But since every little helps, it's likely that Apple's rivals will be considering throwing in their own vapor chambers on future models.
Magnetic wireless charging
Apple popularized magnetic wireless charging with MagSafe, but even when a standardized option became available for Android phone makers, very few of them actually bothered to sign on. Instead they pointed customers to special magnetic cases.
There was speculation as to whether the iPhone Duo would support MagSafe or not, but now we know it does even if the size of the Duo makes certain accessories attach a little awkwardly. Google, obviously, already supports Qi2 magnetic charging, but the other foldables out there? Not so much, and we've never really had a good excuse as to why.
Here's hoping that changes, though I will admit this might be more wishful thinking. After all, magnetic wireless charging has struggled to gain traction in recent years, despite the previous years of Apple support. So phone makers aren't always willing to copy everything.