Now that I’ve had my hands on the iPhone Duo and seen what the hype is about, I better understand Apple’s vision for what a foldable phone should be. That matters, since Apple is just entering the market with its first-ever foldable, while Samsung has been refining the category for years.
While there are still many areas where Samsung is untouchable with its foldables, I’m going to tell you all the ways the iPhone Duo beats the Galaxy Z Fold 8. These are without a doubt two of the best foldable phones available, but this matchup is even more compelling because of how much they share —from their prices and designs to their cameras.
Considering that the iPhone Duo is a first-generation device, I have to give Apple credit for prioritizing the areas where it’s superior to its rival.
No glare and less of a crease
Foldable phone makers have long striven to achieve a nearly invisible display crease. While the Z Fold 8 smooths it out to the most subtle Samsung has ever designed, it still doesn't match the iPhone Duo’s implementation.
Side by side, there’s no comparison, especially because Apple’s anti-reflective nano-texture display coating also dramatically cuts ambient glare. The result is a seam that feels nearly flush under my thumb and fades from view when I watch videos.
The apps are already way better
One of the biggest frustrations with the Z Fold 8—shared with other Android foldables—is that many apps still aren't well optimized for larger, tablet-sized screens. Apple again leaves a strong impression, as many of the apps I use make great use of the expanded canvas.
For example, Instagram spreads out to show a video alongside the comments section simultaneously. My colleague Mark Spoonauer details how several popular apps look across the Duo’s larger footprint.
Yes, Apple has a 'Flex mode'
I was genuinely surprised by the Z Fold 8's stiff hinge, which refuses to stay propped open halfway like a mini laptop. The iPhone Duo doesn't have that problem—and its take on "Flex mode" rearranges UI elements with the polish I expect from Apple.
Open Netflix with the Duo propped on a flat surface, and the video cleanly snaps to the top panel, while playback controls shift down to the bottom half.
More durable design
Foldable phones are inherently more fragile than traditional slabs, so it’s reassuring that the iPhone Duo has a more durable build that's not just water-resistant but also dust-resistant.
That’s thanks to its IP68 rating, compared to the Z Fold 8’s IP48. This gives the iPhone Duo a huge advantage: its chassis is sealed more tightly, preventing fine debris from working its way inside and damaging internal components.
Stronger performance
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is no slouch, especially since it can run the graphically intensive games I play most. However, Apple’s new A20 Pro chip operates on an entirely different level, easily overshadowing its rival's benchmark figures.
Not only does it handily beat the Z Fold 8 in Geekbench’s single- and multi-core tests, but the A20 Pro also pulls ahead by an even wider margin in sustained graphics workloads. In 3DMark’s Solar Bay Unlimited stress test, the Duo clocked an average frame rate of 62.3 fps compared to the Fold 8’s 47.35 fps — a massive 32% performance advantage for Apple.
Longer battery life
Because of their massive main displays, foldables have larger power appetites that put heavy strain on battery cells. Between the two, however, the iPhone Duo delivers noticeably longer endurance.
What’s surprising is that their packs differ by only 1.73% in raw capacity (4,883 mAh on the Duo vs. 4,800 mAh on the Fold 8). Yet, the gap in actual performance is massive. On Tom’s Guide’s custom battery drain test, the Duo averaged 13 hours and 20 minutes, compared to just 10 hours and 6 minutes for the Z Fold 8. That means Apple’s foldable lasts over 3 hours longer on a single charge, a 32% boost in battery life.
Apple Pencil support
Finally, the iPhone Duo beats the Galaxy Z Fold 8 thanks to the added versatility of Apple Pencil USB-C support. In pursuing a thinner, lighter chassis, Samsung stripped the digitizer layer from the Fold 8's main display, meaning there’s no S Pen compatibility whatsoever.
Even though I don’t use a stylus every day, it remains essential for anyone craving a true pen-on-paper feel. The Apple Pencil doesn't just turn the Duo into a capable digital notepad — its low latency and pressure precision also make it an ideal canvas for quick sketches and markups.