It’s been an exceptionally busy few months for Apple. In just seven weeks, the Cupertino giant has refreshed its store shelves with the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone Duo, HomePod mini 2, HomeView, OLED iPad mini, iMac M6, and MacBook Pro M6.
That’s eight new products designed to tempt you to reach for your wallet, but by offering more choice than ever, Apple has also thrown up some unique new buying conundrums.
For instance, if it’s cheaper to buy an iPhone 18 Pro and Apple’s new iPad mini than it is to buy the iPhone Duo (spoiler: it is), should you? That’s the argument currently doing the rounds on Reddit and TechRadar sister site Tom’s Guide, where my colleague says the iPhone 18 Pro/iPad mini combo is “cheaper and better” than Apple’s first foldable.
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I can absolutely see the logic in this position. The iPhone 18 Pro costs $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,099. The new OLED iPad mini costs $699 / £699 / AU$1,099. Together, they cost $1,898 / £1,898 / AU$3,198, while a single iPhone Duo costs $1,999 / £1,999 / AU$3,499. You’d be getting two great products instead of one, and saving $101 / £101 / AU$301 in the process.
The iPhone 18 Pro is also a better phone in many ways than the iPhone Duo. It’s thinner, lighter, has better cameras, and doesn’t rely on Touch ID. The OLED iPad mini, meanwhile, offers a Duo-comparable entertainment experience, and can even be equipped with the same Nano-Texture display technology as Apple’s first foldable. No brainer, right?
But the fundamental difference between these two purchase decisions is that one involves two devices, and the other only one. These are not like-for-like experiences. Owning and using an iPhone 18 Pro alongside an iPad mini is not comparable to the experience of owning and using a single iPhone Duo. But the reverse is true.
The Duo is a compromise, yes, but it still offers an undeniably iPad-like experience in pocketable form. You’re paying a premium for its versatility and portability. The whole point of the Duo (and foldables generally) is that it lets you experience a tablet whenever and wherever you are. It’s like using a spork while camping to save you packing a spoon and a fork. Or buying a Range Rover Sport instead of a Ferrari and a family-sized minivan.
The new iPad mini is small, sure — but are you really going to walk around with an 8.5-inch tablet in your pocket? Tom’s Guide’s assertion that “Apple has inadvertently priced its own foldable out of the market for anyone willing to carry a small bag” makes a rather big assumption about the number of people willing to carry a small bag on their person at all times. I am not one of those people, and I don’t know many of them.
All this being said, I am no great iPhone Duo defender. For me, the compromises of getting an iPad-like experience in an iPhone-sized device are, at the time of writing, too great, and I would personally rather stick with my iPhone 18 Pro (and, yes, maybe even buy an iPad mini for watching movies in bed or on the plane).
But that does not mean I think I can recreate the experience of owning the iPhone Duo by buying two separate Apple products — watching movies in bed or on the plane is not the same as watching movies wherever I please.
Buying the iPhone 18 Pro and the new iPad mini might be better value for money than buying a single iPhone Duo, but value and compatibility are two different things. There’s definitely something to be said for owning one device that offers the best of both worlds, and anyone considering the iPhone Duo should remember that before being swayed one way or the other.
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axel.metz@futurenet.com (Axel Metz)
