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iPhone Duo ينزل اليوم: المراجعات تقول أفضل قابل للطي لكن «جيل أول بكل معنى الكلمة» — Jumbo نفد عندها خلال ساعات، وApple رفعت طلبات الإنتاج 40%

iPhone Duo launches today: reviews call it the best foldable but “a first-gen device in every possible way”; Jumbo sold out within hours and Apple raised production orders 40%

by Slorks 2026-10-23 0 0 replies
Machine-translated — the Arabic text is the original
iPhone Duo ينزل اليوم: المراجعات تقول أفضل قابل للطي لكن «جيل أول بكل معنى الكلمة» — Jumbo نفد عندها خلال ساعات، وApple رفعت طلبات الإنتاج 40%الصورة: 9to5Mac

Today, October 23, is the first official sales day for the iPhone Duo in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and since Apple Stores aren’t selling to walk-in customers (we covered that yesterday), the attention is on retailers and reviews. The conclusion from The Verge, Tom’s Guide, Wired, CNET, Gizmodo, Joanna Stern and HTX Studio is consistent: the best foldable on the market, and far from perfect.

iPhone Duo
The iPhone Duo open; reviewers agree the crease is the least visible of any foldable — Photo: 9to5Mac

What they praise

The design, the thinness, and the inner display’s nano-texture finish that cuts glare and hides the crease. HTX Studio measured the crease on a new unit at 48 microns (half a sheet of paper) with a slope under 0.1 degrees; after 3,000 folds it was 167 microns and 1.24 degrees, so it changes with use but remains the best. Stern measured the hinge after 32,000 folds and found it stiffer, but couldn’t feel the difference in normal use. Multitasking and split-screen are excellent, and Apple’s app ecosystem gives it a cohesion Android foldables lack.

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What they fault

CameraNo telephoto lens, the most repeated complaint (Tom’s Guide, Wired, CNET, Stern)
BiometricsTouch ID instead of Face ID; most reviewers never got used to it
AppsMany third-party apps appear iPhone-sized in the middle of the inner screen
Weight and outer screenHeavy in one hand, and the outer display is too small for daily use
BatteryHTX Studio says the large screen cost battery, cooling and performance
Price$2,000; AED 8,499 (256GB) · 9,349 (512GB) · 11,049 (1TB) · 13,599 (2TB)

The Verge summed it up in one line: “it is a first-gen device in every possible way.” Wired suggests waiting for the Duo 2.

Why it matters: the UAE picture today

According to Khaleej Times, Jumbo says its stock sold out within hours of launch, and Eros says some variants are temporarily unavailable, with demand strongest for 512GB, then 1TB, then 256GB, and Night Sky favoured by men and Star White by women. Deira traders have seen buyers pay up to AED 2,500 extra for immediate availability. Globally, DigiTimes reports Apple raised supplier orders by more than 40% and lifted its first-year shipment target from 9.7 to 14 million units. And Gurman says Duo 2 prototypes inside Apple carry Face ID under the outer display, with no date attached.

My take

Every review says the same thing in different words: the most beautiful foldable, and the most expensive prototype you can buy. If you have a pre-order, take it knowing you are buying the idea before the device. If you don’t, I see no reason to pay AED 2,500 over list in Deira for a phone whose reviewers say wait for the second generation, especially when Apple is already testing Face ID for it.

Sources: 9to5Mac — review roundup · Khaleej Times — UAE stock · 9to5Mac / DigiTimes — orders +40% · 9to5Mac / Gurman — Duo 2 Face ID

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