Apple iPhone Duo vs. iPhone 18 Pro: First-hand impressions, how to decide

Planning to upgrade your iPhone this year? If you want the most feature-packed device, the choice is usually easy: You'd buy the latest iPhone Pro Max, and this time around, that's the very impressive iPhone 18 Pro Max .

However, Apple decided to throw a curveball at iOS users this year with the release of its first-ever Apple foldable, the iPhone Duo .

Now, iPhone users have to make a difficult choice.

I know because I'm one of them.

Before the September iPhone event , I assumed I'd go with the new Pro Max, but the unveiling of the Duo had me second-guessing my decision.

So, should you go with the iPhone 18 Pro Max or the iPhone Duo ? Each is powerful in its own right, as they both have Apple's new Apple Silicon chip A20 Pro.

But both are missing important features that the other has.

Our first-hand experience: iPhone Duo vs. iPhone 18 Pro Max Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable Mashable has now had plenty of hands-on time with both devices.

Here's what we can say based on our real-world testing: If you want the most powerful iPhone on the market, get the iPhone 18 Pro Max.

If you want a whole new iPhone experience, get the iPhone Duo.

As Mashable's Stan Schroeder wrote in his iPhone Duo review , the new foldable is "the most interesting iPhone since the first one." Apple has successfully pulled off its first foldable device, despite a few minor quirks.

The user experience is excellent, and Apple really thought through all the ways a larger, foldable screen can benefit iOS.

Schroeder scored the iPhone Duo more highly than the iPhone 18; ultimately, the cool factor was decisive.

With that said, the iPhone Duo does have a learning curve that will take some getting used to.