Here’s what the iPhone Duo actually looks like in people’s hands

Apple’s “Surprise and shine” keynote today made the $1,999 iPhone Duo look almost impossibly seamless. But now that people at Apple Park are actually opening, closing, folding, and gaming on the device, we have a better idea of what Apple’s first foldable looks like in real life.

The short version: It looks impressively thin, the software responds quickly as the phone changes shape, and the crease isn’t quite as invisible as Apple’s presentation suggested (though it comes pretty close). Here are some early glimpses we’ve spotted so far — first and foremost from Mashable’s Senior Editor, Stan Schroeder, who’s on the ground at the Apple event.

Mashable’s Stan Schroeder tests the iPhone Duo’s camera on its large inner display.
Credit: Mashable, Stan Schroeder

Early reactions were largely enthusiastic. Tech creator Max Weinbach called the iPhone Duo the “bar none best foldable,” and was taken by the under-display camera, calling it “wild.” “I wasn’t expecting that.”

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Tech reviewer and Mashable 101 honoree iJustine, or Justine Ezarik, showed how compact the fully opened device looks when held in two hands, writing that the product is “amazingggg.”

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Ezarik also demonstrated what it looked like to watch Netflix’s “Clips” feature, which provides a vertical video feed, as well as an episode of Wednesday.

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She also showed off the Duo’s camera, including how the foldable design and outer display can be used while framing a shot.

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YouTube streamer IShowSpeed was similarly captivated while trying the phone during a livestream, repeatedly folding and unfolding it as viewers in the chat reacted, who were also impressed.

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A clip posted by journalist Geoff Keighley specifically highlighted the sleek animation when folding the Duo from its larger, tablet-like display into its compact outer screen. “I thought the transition to the inner display was just for show, but it’s so cool it’s as advertised in-person,” replied one user.

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Keighley also tested games running across the open display in three perspectives enabled by the hinge. “Pokémon Go and watching TikToks on one mobile device is gonna be cool,” wrote another user.

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The responses online haven’t been universally glowing. Some people compared the shape to Microsoft’s Surface Duo or a Nintendo DS. Others questioned whether games would stutter as the display moved between positions.

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Senior Editor at Gizmodo, Ray Wong, gave a different perspective of the Duo, taping it from several angles as he opened and closed it. Viewed straight on, the 7.6-inch display looks nearly continuous, but tilt the phone toward an overhead light, and a subtle vertical crease becomes visible through the center.

“Can definitely see the screen crease at certain angles,” Wong wrote. Replies largely agreed that some kind of crease remains unavoidable on a folding screen, although several people noted that lighting and viewing angle appear to make a substantial difference. “They are magicians, not Gods!” one user pointed out.

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Another felt completely differently, writing, “Wow. the crease is really seamless.”

If you want to unfold the iPhone Duo for yourself, you’ll get your chance when it reaches customers on Oct. 23.