Not everyone is loving their new iPhone Duo

For most new relationships, two weeks probably isn’t enough time to decide if you’re ready for long-term commitment. But two weeks with a new phone? You probably know. The iPhone Duo launched just over two weeks ago, and that’s been enough time for a subset of day-one buyers who aren’t loving the phone to make a decision: It’s time to end things. Also, they wanted their $2,000 back.

This is to be expected, to an extent; the Duo just isn’t a phone for everyone. It’s an early adopter device — we called it “a messy, expensive good time” — and on top of that, the hinge appears to be suffering some first-gen growing pains. Despite all that, Apple seems to be selling Duos just fine, with new online orders projected to ship in January.

As Apple’s customary 14-day return window came to a close, I reached out to a few people to learn more about why they brought their new Duos back. Some of it felt familiar — the outer screen is small, the cameras aren’t great — but other reasons were a little more surprising. Like the fact that the Duo’s whole proposition as a two-in-one device is sometimes a con, not a pro.

“If I can have an iPad in my pocket, that would be great.” So thought Ben Seligson, a content creator, photographer, and now former iPhone Duo owner. After spending some time with the phone, he discovered that having a phone that’s also your iPad wasn’t always ideal. With two separate devices, Seligson told me, “Usually I’d throw a YouTube video on the iPad or throw a podcast up. And then I start cooking dinner and leave my iPad in one spot, but I’d have my phone in my pocket if I got a text, or I needed to set a timer or something like that.” With the Duo, the phone was also the iPad on the counter, so a quick reply became much more of an interruption.

“It didn’t feel like the same phone everyone’s had for the last 10 years.”

Less surprising: A couple of Duo owners I talked to weren’t interested enough in the form factor to try an Android foldable. Not for a lack of curiosity; rather, the iPhone lock-in feels too strong. Michael Hayes, another former Duo owner, says, “I used to flip back and forth between Android and iOS about 10 years ago, and I think I still have a Pixel in a drawer somewhere … Unless something massive changes, I’m locked into the ecosystem now.” Seligson has been tempted by Samsung’s foldables in the past. “A year ago when the Fold 7 came out I was kind of thinking about it,” he says. “But my whole family uses FaceTime; I’m on FaceTime with them all the time. I’ve got the Mac, I’ve got the iPad. So there’s just too many reasons not to try it.” Both Hayes and Seligson switched back to slab-style iPhones rather than other foldables.

Fayethe Vongsouvanh, an art director, envisioned using the Duo for editing photos and planning their wedding. They had the misfortune of a cracked screen on the second day of owning the Duo. “At the time, I was at home recovering from hand surgery, so I knew there was no way I was too rough with it,” says Vongsouvanh. They were able to get a replacement quickly, but a number of other quirks led them to return that one, too. Weight was the biggest factor. “The phone is just too heavy and bulky for my daily use,” they say.

Even though things didn’t work out, the Duo seems to have had an impact on the people I spoke to. “There’s a specialness that the Duo has that I kind of miss,” says Seligson. “It felt different, and it didn’t feel like the same phone everyone’s had for the last ten years.” Spending time with the Duo has inspired others to look at old form factors with a fresh perspective. Vongsouvanh enjoyed writing and drawing with the Duo’s inner screen and an Apple Pencil and has been inspired to pick up an older device more often. “I’ll definitely start using my old iPad Pro with a Paperlike screen protector more often,” they say. For Hayes, the Duo led him to downsize. “If there’s one thing the Duo did, it steered me toward the regular Pro instead of the Pro Max this time because it felt comically big after using the Duo.” Maybe small phones have a chance after all.

If you’re still waiting for your Duo, there’s some good news; Apple’s holiday return policy kicked in on November 6th, so anyone who’s just getting their phone will have until January 8th, 2027, to return it for a full refund. Even if you don’t end up keeping the phone, you’re probably in for a good time. I’m still using it as my daily driver a few weeks later, and it keeps managing to surprise me with new tricks. But keep an eye on that return window — just in case.

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• Allison Johnson