I Thought I Was Done With Apple, But The iPhone Duo Might Have Won Me Back

When Apple first released the iOS 26 beta back in 2025, giving us our first look at the company's big software overhaul with Liquid Glass, I wasn't very excited, and neither were a lot of other users. In fact, it was the last nail in the coffin of my decision to ditch my iPhone 15 Pro Max with my next phone upgrade and go back to Android. This is a switch I used to make often as I enjoyed using both operating systems. But for me, everything about the iPhone had stagnated, and with the introduction of Liquid Glass, Apple was simply putting the cherry on top, so to speak. The hardware wasn't impressing me, and the new operating system left a lot to be desired, personally.

Now, I had no delusions that Android was more innovative at the hardware game than Apple. Samsung and other companies have been experimenting with folding phones, and I liked the idea of those devices, but not enough to drop as much as $2,100 on one. But I'd been rocking an iPhone since the iPhone 11, and felt like a change of pace would benefit me greatly. I'm happy to say that I've been more than pleased with my Galaxy S25 Ultra since the swap. Despite the quirks that Android has sometimes and some of the changes Google is making to the operating system, like essentially killing sideloading, I haven't missed my iPhone all that much. Adjusting back to Android from an iPhone was easier than I expected, and I'd say I was pretty happy being done with Apple. However, the iPhone Duo may have just changed that.

I have always liked the idea of folding phones. Whether or not the execution was there to convince me to buy one is another question entirely. I've always been a bit turned off by the crease, as well as the durability issues that come into play with folding smartphones. Samsung has greatly improved the generations of its Z Fold devices, and I would say that now we're in a pretty good spot for folding phones overall. Plus, with the introduction of the new passport-style Galaxy Z Fold 8, it feels like we're finally seeing a bit more evolution in the game.

That's why I'm happy to see that Apple has dug into that new design with the iPhone Duo. I'm not saying that the iPhone Duo is going to fix all the issues that I have with foldable phones. The promise of a creaseless experience on a foldable feels like a pipe dream, but I think it's the execution of Apple's setup that has me so intrigued and actually finally considering dropping more than $2,000 on a smartphone.

I still have my concerns about overall durability, and I'm certainly not convinced that the crease isn't something that's going to annoy me. However, for the first time in as long as I can remember, it genuinely feels like Apple is trying something new again. Maybe that's a bit harsh to say, but for me, it feels like the past several iterations of the iPhone — going all the way back to the iPhone 14 and even up to the newer iPhone 18 — just didn't do anything new. Not in ways that actually mattered, at least.

There are definitely some concessions that come with the iPhone Duo that I feel make little sense. Obviously, there are some limitations with the design of the device being so thin, but the lack of certain features such as Face ID, which has become a staple of iPhones in the past several years, does feel like a misstep. However, on a surface level, the iPhone Duo feels like Apple is finally doing its thing again.

I can recall a time, several years ago, when each new iPhone that came out felt like an actual evolution of the last one. It wasn't just a little bit of new AI here and there like we've seen in the past few years. The 18 still feels that way, but with the Duo tacked on, it's hard not to feel like Apple has found its roots again, at least a little bit. Android itself has stagnated in the hardware market, as well, though there are more manufacturers at play, so it's easier to see more cool concepts — such as Honor's Robot Phone with a camera gimbal inside — popping up than we usually do with Apple.

None of this is to say specifically that Apple is innovating again. Ultimately, the company is just learning based on what has worked for other companies and is bringing its own spin to things. While Apple might be new to the foldable market, it does seem like the company already has a pretty good hold on what to do with it. And that, more than anything, has me excited to see what the company does next.