Traditional smartphone advancements have largely become a numbers game, but their foldable counterparts are slowly breaking the mould. Moving on from reducing the visibility of its crease line and overall heft, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 introduced a passport-sized form factor earlier this year that unlocked more versatile use, and a new competitor has appeared.
Enter the Apple iPhone Duo, the company’s first foray into the tech. At 254 grams and measuring 117.8 x 84.1 x 11.3mm in clamshell form, its book-style design is closer to the Android offering than the conventionally built Z Fold 8 Ultra, with a matte inner display smoothing out the folding line and an added cover layer for fuss-free replacement and removal. Despite its thicker build, the device opens easily with one hand, making it ideal for smaller-handed users.
When unfolded, the 5.4-inch Super Retina OLED screen expands to 7.6 inches and delivers 1,878 x 2,670-pixel resolution at 430 ppi. The 201-gram Z Fold 8, meanwhile, sports a 5.5-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X cover display that opens up to a 7.6-inch inner display, a 120Hz refresh rate, a 4:3 aspect ratio, and a 1,848 x 2,448-pixel resolution, alongside support for up to three windows at the same time, versus two on the iPhone Duo.
Since the Apple ecosystem has always stood on its own, the differences extend to every other hardware component, including the chipset and camera system — the A20 processor and a dual 48-megapixel (MP) rear setup, instead of Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and two 50MP shooters. Each also brings exclusive software features, from compatibility with Samsung’s DeX mode to three-way calls, catering to specific scenarios, and determining the right fit boils down to personal preference and use-case priorities. Still, real-world performance is the best form of proof, so it’s time to put both devices to the test.
Check out how the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Apple Duo stack up against each other in the video above.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
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