iPhone Duo after a week: videographer's follow-up verdict

It has been a week since the iPhone Duo went on sale. Videographer Dan Barbera, who had previously reviewed the device, has now revisited his assessment after living with it for longer. His overall impression remains strongly positive: he calls the iPhone Duo the most excited he has been about an iPhone in a long time, and he intends to keep using it.

One of the most closely watched questions was a bright white line running along one edge of the inner display on some units. Barbera also covers how the outer screen holds up in daily use, the cameras, battery life and app compatibility.

How widespread is the white-line screen issue?

Images of iPhone Duo units with a bright white line along one edge of the inner screen have been circulating online. The defect is said to affect some users, though Apple says the problem is limited to a small number of devices. No one on the review team has had a cracked screen. The team also says it has seen some AI-generated photos in circulation, which makes it hard to know how many people are actually affected.

Units that show the hinge-related screen-cracking defect appear to be damaged soon after purchase. Someone who has used their device for a week without trouble is therefore unlikely to have the fault.

Daily use: outer screen, folded form and authentication

The outer screen is small, but Barbera says it works well for checking notifications, replying to messages and browsing apps or websites. When he wants to multitask or type longer messages, he opens the device. Holding it open in a portrait orientation to watch a video while using another app is one of the ways he likes to use it most.

On authentication, Barbera says the Touch ID fingerprint sensor is easy to find, and that unlocking with an Apple Watch gives an experience similar to Face ID.

Cameras, battery life and app support

The verdict on the cameras is measured: results are merely decent. Users who zoom often will probably miss a telephoto lens. Barbera says he does miss it, but will keep using the device anyway.

Battery life sits somewhere between the iPhone 18 Pro and the Pro Max, and should last a full day for most users.

On the software side, not every app has yet adapted to the Duo's screen layout, though the situation is steadily improving. An extension called Wider, which stretches the Safari window to the edges of the outer screen, is described as a major improvement. More adaptations may arrive in the coming months as developers and users get used to the new layout. Overall, Barbera says he is happy with the device and will carry on using it.