Apple’s iPhone Duo is positioned to bring a tablet-like folding workspace to the iPhone lineup, but Nothing CEO Carl Pei believes its thin design comes with too many compromises. In a recent video, Pei criticized the foldable’s value proposition, particularly when compared with the less expensive iPhone 18 Pro.
It’s a waste of money.
Carl Pei, CEO of Nothing
A thin foldable with notable omissions
Pei’s central objection is the lack of Face ID. The iPhone Duo is said to measure just 5.2 mm thick when unfolded, a constraint that may make it difficult to accommodate Apple’s TrueDepth hardware. Supporting face authentication on both the outer and inner displays could add further complexity. Apple has not confirmed that either issue is the reason Face ID is absent.
The camera system is another point of contention. The iPhone Duo has a 12-megapixel front camera, while the iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199 and offers an 18-megapixel front camera. Apple’s foldable also lacks a LiDAR scanner and a dedicated telephoto camera, according to the reported specifications.
- A20 Pro processor
- 120 Hz ProMotion display with Always-On functionality
- Apple Pencil USB-C support
- A display crease described as nearly invisible
- No Face ID facial authentication
- No dedicated telephoto camera or LiDAR scanner
Reporting attributed to Mark Gurman indicates that Apple may add Face ID and a telephoto camera in later generations, potentially not until an iPhone Duo 3. That timeline has not been confirmed.
Preorders are scheduled to begin October 16, with store availability announced for October 23. U.S. availability has not been separately confirmed. For prospective foldable buyers, the iPhone Duo’s appeal may come down to whether its unusually thin hardware, high-refresh display, and Apple Pencil support outweigh the camera and biometric trade-offs at $1,999.
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