Apple is trying to steal Samsung’s thunder with the iPhone Duo, and it has a real shot. The iPhone Duo has MagSafe and IP68 durability, two rare features on Android foldables. It’s also due to get Apple Pencil support on both of its screens later this year, and the move comes following Samsung’s choice to ditch S Pen support on Galaxy Z Fold devices. At $1,999, the iPhone Duo isn’t a bad deal — but will it become the best widescreen foldable when it launches next month?
I’ve tested the best iPhones and folding phones for years, and there’s a good chance the iPhone Duo ranks above Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra in multiple categories. But there are also many unknowns, and notable areas where the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is clearly a cut above the iPhone Duo. I’ve used the Galaxy Z Fold 8 for weeks, and I see five critical ways Samsung’s wide foldable is poised to beat the iPhone Duo at its own game.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is thinner and lighter
This is a difference you’ll be able to feel in the hand
The iPhone Duo and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 couldn’t be more different in terms of design. The former has a “D-shaped” chassis with flat edges on one side and curved corners on the other. I prefer the boxy look of the Galaxy Z Fold 8, but these aesthetics are subjective. What’s objective is that the iPhone Duo will immediately become one of the thickest and heaviest foldables on the market. It measures 11.3mm thick when shut and weighs a whopping 254 grams.
Surprisingly, the iPhone Duo isn’t actually that much heavier than the new iPhone 18 Pro Max, which weighs 249 grams. However, that’s more of a testament to how overweight the iPhone 18 Pro Max is than an indicator of the iPhone Duo’s lightness. To put the dimensions in perspective, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 measures just 9.7mm thick and weighs only 201 grams.
Bringing back that iPhone 18 Pro Max comparison, Apple’s flagship measures 8.75mm thick. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 packs a 7.6-inch foldable screen in a form factor that’s only about a millimeter thicker than an iPhone 18 Pro Max when folded. It’s an incredible feat, and makes the iPhone Duo look immediately outdated.
It comes with a free screen protector replacement
Plus, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is $100 cheaper than the iPhone Duo
Durability is always a concern with foldables, especially with first-generation models like the iPhone Duo. Apple’s IP68 certification tells you the iPhone Duo is dustproof and water-resistant, but it doesn’t tell you how the phone’s foldable OLED display will age. I’m particularly worried about how the sharp Apple Pencil tip will fare against the iPhone Duo’s fragile nano-texture display. With a new product, it’s anyone’s guess.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is a sure thing. Samsung offers a free replacement built-in screen protector for every Galaxy Z Fold 8 buyer in their first year. In the unlikely event your Galaxy Z Fold 8 screen protector peels, cracks, or scratches, you can get it replaced one time for free. After that, it’s only $20 to replace at a Samsung authorized repair center. Knowing exactly what will happen if your Galaxy Z Fold 8 folding display cover breaks — and that your first issue is covered completely free — is the peace of mind you need when buying a phone this expensive.
An anti-reflective, glossy folding display
The iPhone Duo’s nano-texture, matte screen isn’t for everyone
To reduce the visibility of the folding display crease and combat the plastic display covering, foldables are starting to add anti-reflective screens. Samsung added an anti-reflective cover to the folding display on both the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. Apple took this concept one step further with the iPhone Duo, using nano-texture etching on the plastic display cover to diffuse light, creating a matte look and feel. While I tend to enjoy Apple’s nano-texture finish and matte screens in general, the display covering comes with notable downsides.
The important thing to remember about a nano-texture finish is that it diffuses light both ways. The surface diffuses light in your environment, limiting the effects of sunlight and glare. But it also diffuses light coming from the foldable OLED screen itself. This can result in nano-texture screens looking grainy and dim compared to glossy displays, especially off-angle. All this is to say that for some, the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s glossy anti-reflective display will look sharper and brighter than the iPhone Duo’s matte nano-texture display.
An effortless hinge mechanism
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the easiest foldable to open
A key differentiator between the iPhone Duo and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is their hinge type. The iPhone Duo has a multi-position hinge that can remain stable at various angles. This enables a feature commonly known as Flex mode, where a foldable can remain half-opened, and clever software features make use of the laptop-like position. By comparison, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 has a quick-opening hinge that is built to “make unfolding feel smoother, lighter and more natural.” As I’ve used the Galaxy Z Fold 8 for weeks, I’ve come to appreciate this new hinge, even without Flex mode.
Here’s why: foldables stay closed most of the time. Look at foldable users, and you’ll see them using the cover display disproportionately to the folding display. This is because there’s inherent friction to opening up a foldable. You want a foldable to be easy to open, and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is just that. The springy hinge jumps open after you start opening it, and because of this characteristic, I use the Galaxy Z Fold 8 unfolded most of the time. It’s for this reason that I prefer the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s hinge mechanism to the multi-position hinges offered by the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and the iPhone Duo.
Samsung’s multitasking software reigns supreme
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the champ until proven otherwise
The iPhone Duo has a multitasking feature that is downright incredible. When unfolded, the two sides of the phone can be operated independently of each other, much like the Microsoft Surface Duo. You can use split-screen views to deploy two apps on either side of the screen. When you want to replace one of the apps, it’s possible to use the home screen without touching the other app — this is something no Android foldable can do.
However, Samsung’s multitasking software is undoubtedly more versatile in every other area. Since Stage Manager isn’t available on iPhone Duo, there’s no way to use apps in windowed form on Apple’s foldable. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 can run three split-screen apps and five pop-up apps in windowed form at once, for a total of eight apps.
Where the iPhone Duo crushes the Galaxy Z Fold 8
I must stress that the iPhone Duo looks to be an incredible first effort from Apple. I didn’t expect the iPhone Duo to be this affordable or fully featured. I know it seems crazy to suggest that the $2,000 iPhone Duo is affordable, but given foldable prices and the global RAM shortage, I wouldn’t have been surprised if Apple’s foldable was much more expensive. At $100 more than the Galaxy Z Fold 8, the iPhone Duo easily justifies the extra cost with MagSafe charging, IP68 durability, Apple Pencil support, and a vapor chamber for the A20 Pro chipset.
The question is really whether you can live with the iPhone Duo’s compromises. Its thickness and weight are real drawbacks compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 8. The nano-texture display won’t be for everyone, and I’m favoring the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s quick-opening hinge design for now. Samsung’s multitasking software gives foldable users far more flexibility than what Apple has shown off for the iPhone Duo. Put it all together, and you can make real cases for each phone earning a spot in your pocket.
- Battery
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4,800 mAh silicon-carbon
- Weight
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201g
- IP Rating
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IP48
- Processor
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Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy
- Cover screen
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5.5-inch
- Brand
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Samsung
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is an ultra-slim premium foldable smartphone featuring a 5.5-inch passport-style cover display and a 7.6-inch main internal screen. Measuring just 4.5mm thick when unfolded, it features a 50MP dual-camera system, a Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, and an IP48 durability rating.