12 Best IPhone 18 Pro Features That the Folding Duo Lacks
The iPhone Duo is both the most exciting (and expensive ) product from Apple’s September hardware event . The Duo is Apple’s first foldable smartphone, packed with new features not found in other iPhone models. However, developing a foldable smartphone comes with many compromises, meaning the iPhone Duo falls short in many features compared to the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max . Yes, even if you pay $1,999 (up to $3,199 for the 2TB storage option) for the iPhone Duo, you won’t get all the best new features this year’s iPhone. Here are all the features the iPhone Duo doesn’t have.
The iPhone Duo doesn’t have an action button.
Unlike the iPhone 18 Pro series (or any iPhone since the 15), the foldable iPhone doesn’t have a programmable action button. It doesn’t even have a mute switch, meaning the only buttons are volume control and power. The action button can be assigned to simple tasks like taking screenshots or more complex automations of your choosing , and its absence on the foldable iPhone will be greatly missed.
The iPhone Duo’s front camera isn’t as good as the iPhone 18 Pro’s.
The iPhone Duo features a 12-megapixel front-facing camera on the outer display, which is lower resolution than the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max. The two 18 Pro series phones come with an 18-megapixel front-facing camera for selfies. The iPhone Duo also has a front-facing camera under the display, and since Apple hasn’t disclosed the megapixel count, it’s safe to say it’s also lower than the 18 Pro’s. However, by its nature, the Duo has an interesting advantage here: if you take selfies unfolded, you use the much higher-quality rear camera sensor, as the front display becomes the viewfinder. Anyone using the Duo for selfies this way will get better-quality photos than those using the iPhone 18 Pro’s front-facing camera.
The iPhone Duo’s rear cameras have a fixed aperture.
Variable aperture is one of the best new camera features in the iPhone 18 Pro series . The main rear camera allows you to control the aperture, opening up opportunities for better-quality photos, enhanced depth-of-field effects, and greater creative control over the shooting process. Unfortunately, the iPhone Duo lacks this feature.
Pro Controls will not be available on iPhone Duo.
By now, the trend is fairly clear: the iPhone Duo lacks many camera features. For the iPhone 18 Pro series, Apple announced “Pro Controls” for the Camera app, which allow you to control aperture, shutter speed, and other settings. This will undoubtedly appeal to photography enthusiasts, but despite the Duo’s steep price, it’s another feature that hasn’t made it to the foldable smartphone.
Apple’s sample image is only available for the 18 Pro series.
Apple also announced a new standard for combating AI-powered images. Apple’s Reference Image feature allows users to verify whether an image was taken with the iPhone 18 Pro and whether it was created using AI. However, for some reason, this feature is missing from the iPhone Duo.
The iPhone Duo does not have a telephoto lens.
Apple has decided to use two rear cameras in the iPhone Duo, meaning there’s no telephoto lens. The iPhone 18 Pro series offered 4x and 8x optical zoom, which won’t be available in the iPhone Duo. On the foldable iPhone, the zoom range will be limited to 0.5x to 2x for both the ultra-wide and Fusion cameras.
On iPhone Duo, you won’t have access to spatial photos, videos, or ProRAW.
Spatial photography, spatial video, and ProRAW are all features designed for professional photographers and videographers. These features are available on the iPhone 18 Pro series, but not on the iPhone Duo.
The iPhone 18 Pro has better microphones for video recording than the iPhone Duo.
Apple equipped the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max with a “studio-quality” four-microphone system. The goal is to improve audio quality when recording videos. This feature is not available on the iPhone Duo.
iPhone Duo does not use Face ID.
Apple has chosen to equip the iPhone Duo with Touch ID, which means you can unlock the device with your fingerprint. While the lack of Face ID may seem like a significant drawback, I think it’s entirely logical for a device with multiple front-facing cameras. Instead of placing a Face ID sensor next to each camera, Apple has opted for a more practical solution. You can also unlock your iPhone Duo with your Apple Watch, if you have one.
The iPhone Duo does not have a LiDAR scanner.
LiDAR sensors measure the distance between two objects, creating 3D scans of real-world objects and even creating 3D models of your home’s layout. Your iPhone comes with the Measure app, which works well with the iPhone Pro series, as these devices are equipped with a LiDAR scanner. The iPhone Duo does not have this app.
The Duo model is available in two colors only.
This year, Apple retained all the bright iPhone colors for the 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max models, including the new Glacier and Burgundy options. It’s a shame Apple didn’t add at least one of these colors to the iPhone Duo, as the foldable iPhone is only available in “Night Sky” (a dark blue) or white.
iPhone Duo only supports eSIM worldwide
The iPhone Duo is the first iPhone to ship with dual eSIM slots worldwide. In 12 countries, the iPhone 18 Pro will exclusively support eSIM, but not in the rest of the world. In most regions, the 18 Pro will ship with at least one physical SIM slot. While eSIM is great for those who never change SIM cards or travel frequently, having a physical SIM card is also useful. It allows for the use of inexpensive prepaid travel SIM cards abroad and provides the flexibility to quickly swap SIM cards.