Why so wide? Apple explains the iPhone Duo’s unusual design

One of the biggest surprises when the iPhone Duo was unveiled was its unusual form factor. Rather than following the relatively tall and narrow proportions of many existing foldables – such as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold, Google Pixel Fold or Honor Magic V – Apple took a different approach to the form factor. Design chief Molly Anderson explained the thinking behind it to British GQ.

As Anderson explains, the iPhone Duo is intended to feel like a traditional notebook. The basic idea is simple: A notebook remains compact when closed but offers significantly more space when opened. Apple wanted to bring this familiar relationship to the iPhone Duo. According to GQ, its proportions are based on the international A-series paper format. A4, A5 and A6 each retain the same aspect ratio when folded in half. Following this principle, the Duo is designed to maintain as consistent a basic shape as possible when both open and closed.

The article also features comments from Steve Lemay, Apple's VP of Human Interface Design, on the software concept. According to Lemay, Apple wanted to avoid making the act of unfolding the device feel like switching to an entirely different product. Instead, the larger display is intended to expand on the familiar iPhone experience. This also includes a special animation when unfolding the device. It is designed to make the transition between the outer and inner displays feel as seamless as possible – almost as if the outer screen simply grows larger as the device opens.

It's already clear that Apple has carefully tailored the interplay between hardware, animations and software to the foldable form factor – something that has even prompted users of other foldables to think about the software on their own devices. Apple also expects developers to find additional use cases for the Duo that the company itself hasn't even considered yet. What ideas emerge from this will likely only become apparent once the device is used in everyday life.