The iPhone Duo manages to balance some compromises with unique features that make it a much better option than the iPhone Air. Here's what you don't get in the folding iPhone, and what offsets those losses. The iPhone Air created a fork in Apple's lineup that gave users a premium choice that wasn't "pro." However, some users complained that it may have cut too many corners to achieve its thin and light design. For the past year, the conversation around iPhone Air has been primarily about what it lacked. While I believe the iPhone Air is a perfectly fine iPhone, I think the iPhone Duo did a much better job addressing user needs. The iPhone Air battery complaints were overblown, it basically has the same battery life as the iPhone 16. The camera also was just fine, if nothing to brag about.

iPhone Duo, however, gives more back than what had to be taken away. I've already detailed why I believe the iPhone Duo camera system will be more than adequate for most users, but I wanted to discuss its compromises a little more broadly. The thing is, there's really not much to discuss. iPhone Duo isn't just thin for the sake of it. If you're someone that complains about the iPhone Air, you might comment that the thinness was completely unnecessary. I've seen people suggest that a bit more thickness for grip and additional battery life would have made it a better iPhone.

iPhone Air is the spiritual precursor to iPhone Duo. The thinness was the point. Apple built iPhone Air because it could. It was clearly a testbed for what was coming next. The iPhone Duo is even thinner than the iPhone Air, though still not thinner than the iPad Pro. That thinness means it is impossible to include a long-range telephoto camera. Apple also likely struggled to include the necessary sensors for Face ID on multiple sides of the device. There just wasn't enough space, and every bit of space was needed for the two batteries. However, the thinness serves a purpose with iPhone Duo. When open, it's thinner than iPhone Air at 0.21 inches versus 0.22 inches, but when it is closed it's 0.44 inches, which is only a tenth of an inch thicker than an iPhone 18 Pro Max. iPhone Duo isn't the thinnest foldable out there, but its titanium frame, 10-layer inner display, and 24-hour mixed-use battery life contribute to that.