Using an iPhone Duo with my own hands turned out to be a remarkably different experience than I imagined.

After watching (too many of) the first YouTube videos and reading reviews last week, I feel like I have a pretty good handle on what the iPhone Duo is: a small iPad Mini, a squat iPhone that transforms into a big iPhone. I appreciated the translucent window animation when you unfold it. I smiled at the interior glow when the alarm went off in tent mode.

Those are all features . I was looking for experience . You can’t get that from watching videos.

To be up front, I’d already decided that the iPhone Duo isn’t the new iPhone for me. As a photographer (and author of a book about iPhone photography ), the camera features of the iPhone 18 Pro are objectively superior to what the iPhone Duo offers. And the $2,000 price is a big ask.…