Why I Don’t Believe the iPhone Duo will Replace the iPad mini

I’m starting to think I may be one of the people preordering an iPhone Duo as soon as it launches. It’s an odd sensation. I haven’t ordered the new iPhone since the iPhone 13 mini came out. I’ve liked using my old iPhone, but it’s about time, and Apple did finally release a smaller iPhone again. Finally.

I’m a huge fan of small phones. Large phones make no sense, you don’t need anything larger than an iPhone 13 mini and the small size is wonderful in the hand and pocket. The iPhone 13 mini has been the best phone I’ve owned. The Motorola Razr is the closest to to taking that spot. However, the shorter design of the iPhone Duo is tempting.

Unlike me, most people are more focused on the large inner display of the iPhone Duo. It’s about an inch smaller than the iPad mini, but some people may find themselves wondering why anyone would need an iPad mini when the iPhone Duo exists.

As an iPad mini fan who is likely going to buy an iPhone Duo next month, I think I can provide my thoughts. For me, there are two main reasons I don’t think the iPhone Duo will eliminate the need for the iPad mini.

First, the iPhone Duo is over three times the price of the iPad mini. The iPhone Duo starts at $1,999. The iPad mini is $599. Secondly, the iPad mini is better at being an iPad than the iPhone Duo will be. Even as the iPhone Duo gets Apple Pencil support on both the inner and outer display, the iPad mini will still have a place on my desk. The iPad mini screen is better for writing. It won’t be as soft as the iPhone Duo. The iPad is just better at being a writing and drawing device. While the iPad mini won’t have to justify its screen size, the iPhone Duo certainly will have to.

Flexibility and Durability

I write pretty hard. I use the Rock Paper Pencil system currently on my iPad mini. This is a detriment to the display quality, but it makes the writing surface fantastic. It has a good friction, almost paper-like feel to the surface, and the metal tip gives it precision and durability against that rough surface. It’s my favorite digital writing surface, feeling similar to the reMarkable Paper Pro Move I tested (and returned).

The iPhone Duo will only have one display that could feature such a screen protector, the small outer display. And since my iPhone won’t just be a productivity device like my iPad mini is, I won’t want to degrade the screen quality. The inner display likely won’t even work with a thick screen protector, and the flexible nature of foldable glass means using an Apple Pencil on it for someone who writes a lot and hard would likely mark it up. I’ve been using an iPhone 13 mini since it came out. I fully intend for my iPhone Duo to last many years as well. I certainly won’t be taking a steel-tipped Apple Pencil to that delicate display.

The Pencil

The iPhone Duo will work with an Apple Pencil, but not the Apple Pencil Pro. That means it won’t have wireless charging, grip features, Find My, or twist angle support. It’ll just be Apple’s USB-C Apple Pencil. This has a number of limitations many creatives won’t be willing to put up with. The iPhone Duo will also spend most of its time folded, which means it’ll be much smaller than an Apple Pencil. Someone else may make a compatible USB-C stylus that is more the size of the iPhone Duo, but Apple hasn’t made one yet and, according to rumors, may have scrapped the plan for now.

The Apple Pencil just isn’t made for the iPhone Duo, and Apple may not release a first party solution that works well until the second generation of Apple’s foldable. For now, the Apple Pencil is still best on an iPad, and for professionals and people who write a lot, that means an iPhone can’t come close to replacing their iPad, even if the screen size is similar.

The iPhone Duo is a Compromise

The iPhone Duo is somewhere between the tiny iPhone I want and an iPad. It’s just not going to be right for people who like to have an iPad on their desk to write notes during work or drawing. It’s not going to work for anyone who wants to really use their device for productivity. Reading, some quick annotations, jotting a quick note? Sure. A little “on the go” productivity tool, not a primary productivity device. Until the iPhone Duo screen become more durable and nicer to write on, the Apple Pencil gets pocketable and can charge off the iPhone Duo, and Apple actually releases and supports Pro-level writing and drawing features for the iPhone Duo, the iPad will always be the better tablet.

The iPhone Duo shows a lot of promise, and maybe one day it could replace the iPad mini in Apple’s lineup, but that day won’t be for a long time as high prices, Pencil support, and the delicate folding display will drive people to the better productivity option: a tablet.

I am still looking forward to that tiny screen though.

Sources:

• Wesley Hilliard, AppleInsider