Apple's iPhone Duo Draws Mixed Reviews Three Days After Launch
The complaints that Apple can fix through software updates sit alongside a reported display fault that Apple has not addressed publicly, which leaves buyers no way to judge the hinge issue before spending over 360,000 yen.
Reporting from 1 source: ASCII.jp.
Apple released the iPhone Duo on October 23, and hands-on reviews three days later are split. Praise centers on the main display: the Nano-texture finish, low glare, the embedded front camera, and two-page manga spreads. Criticism lands on the sub-display width and height, unclear side button positions, the lack of Face ID, dock and side menu behavior, and blank margins in unsupported apps. Reports of display lines along the hinge have appeared in Japan and overseas, with no official Apple statement as of October 26.
The criticism splits cleanly along a line Apple can and cannot control. Dock placement, side menus, and blank margins in apps that do not support the Duo are the kind of thing updates can change. The sub-display width, its limited vertical height, the shifting side button positions, and the missing Face ID are not.
The open question is the main display. Multiple reports in Japan and overseas describe lines appearing along the hinge, and as of October 26 Apple has said nothing about the cause or a response. The article's own advice is to handle a unit in a store and confirm the fit before buying, and to consider waiting for fixes on both fronts.
Written with AI by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited. See our editorial policy.
Add Yomimono as a preferred source on Google