I hate when Android manufacturers copy Apple, however the iPhone Duo is the exception

The iPhone Duo is now not a dream. Apple formally unveiled its first foldable iPhone at its September launch occasion, and whereas we’ll have to attend till later this month to really get our fingers on one, Apple getting into a brand new class with a selected route in thoughts often means one factor: Android manufacturers are about to observe.

I’ve been fairly essential of Android OEMs over the previous few years for blindly copying Apple’s methods and bringing them to their very own merchandise. It typically makes Android telephones really feel much less attention-grabbing, much less modern, and, to be trustworthy, generally simply annoying.

However the iPhone Duo has put me in a barely unusual place. I really wouldn’t thoughts Android manufacturers copying Apple.

At any time when Apple launches a brand new product or takes a barely totally different route, Android manufacturers often are likely to observe. It’s one thing we’ve seen repeatedly. When Apple was rumored to be engaged on the super-thin iPhone Air, Samsung rapidly jumped into the class with the Galaxy S25 Edge final yr. We’re now seeing one thing comparable with the Galaxy S27 Extremely, whose rumored redesign is closely impressed by the iPhone.

And which means it’s going to occur once more with the iPhone Duo. At this level, it’s much less a query of if Android producers will leap onto the broader, passport-style foldable bandwagon and extra about when.

In reality, it’s already taking place. Samsung has moved to a a lot wider type issue with the Galaxy Z Fold 8, which seems fairly much like the iPhone Duo when unfolded. The not too long ago leaked Razr Flex additionally suggests Motorola is getting ready to enter the broader foldable market.

I’d have beforehand cribbed about Android manufacturers blindly following Apple’s method. However for in all probability the primary time in years, I really suppose Android manufacturers copying Apple’s route with the iPhone Duo could be an incredible factor.

I’ve been utilizing foldable telephones for a very long time. I’ve used every part from the unique Google Pixel Fold to the crease-less OPPO Discover N6 that launched earlier this yr, and now the Galaxy Z Fold 8 as nicely.

One factor I’ve realized after utilizing all these foldables is that the normal tall-and-narrow type issue simply doesn’t work for me anymore. It’s fairly darn tough to make use of when closed; the quilt show is often too slender to sort on correctly, apps can really feel cramped, and general, it simply isn’t an incredible expertise.

The internal show has its personal issues too. As Apple showcased throughout the iPhone Duo launch, the normal foldable show is commonly taller than it’s vast. As a substitute of feeling such as you’re utilizing a pill, it will possibly generally really feel such as you’ve merely positioned two telephones facet by facet, which isn’t an incredible expertise. And even right this moment, loads of Android apps don’t scale significantly nicely to that form.

The broader type issue isn’t excellent both. It’s actually not as handy for duties like answering a name on the quilt display. However typing on a wider cowl show has been a breath of contemporary air for me and, in a bizarre method, virtually takes me again to the BlackBerry days.

The broader internal show additionally makes far more sense for watching content material. Movies have much less letterboxing, which means these black bars above and under the content material are smaller, and also you really get to make use of extra of that huge foldable display you’re paying for.

The rationale I’m really enthusiastic about Android foldables adopting this wider design is solely that they will. Most of the time, Android telephones provide greater than Apple does in the identical product class or value bracket.

Take the iPhone Duo, for instance. It’s a formidable machine for positive. Apple appears to have solved a few of the greatest issues we’ve had with foldables, together with the crease, whereas additionally providing correct IP68 mud and water resistance. However there are some clear shortcomings as nicely.

For starters, there’s no telephoto digicam, which implies you’re lacking a devoted optical zoom lens. The iPhone Duo can be fairly thick and heavy for a contemporary foldable. Android foldables, then again, have matured properly over the previous few years and handle a few of these shortcomings. And we’re already seeing some examples of that.

Xiaomi has already launched an iPhone Duo competitor with the Xiaomi 18 Fold, and that cellphone manages to suit a devoted telephoto digicam inside. On the subject of the crease, OPPO confirmed us months earlier than Apple, with the Discover N6, that you would be able to make an virtually crease-free foldable show with out counting on a nano-texture end to cover it.

I’m fairly positive Android producers are already wanting on the iPhone Duo, determining what Apple acquired proper, and, extra importantly, the place they will do higher.

Lastly, one of many greatest explanation why I believe this push has been wanted for some time is that Android builders have gotten away with half-baked foldable apps for much too lengthy, and the iPhone Duo would possibly lastly change that.

On the iPhone Duo launch, Apple already showcased numerous apps correctly optimized for the bigger foldable show. In the meantime, foldable telephones have been round on Android for almost a decade, and even right this moment, loads of apps nonetheless aren’t correctly optimized for large-screen gadgets.

Take Slack, for instance. Apple has already showcased a correctly optimized model of the app for the iPhone Duo, whereas on Android foldables, it nonetheless largely seems like a stretched-out model of the common cellphone app on the internal show.

With the iPhone Duo arriving, curiosity in foldable telephones is simply going to extend. And that ought to profit Android foldables as nicely — one thing we’ve already began seeing with the latest increase in Galaxy Z Fold 8 gross sales. As extra folks begin utilizing foldables throughout each iOS and Android, builders can have fewer excuses to not correctly optimize their apps for Android’s bigger screens too.

All issues thought of, I believe the iPhone Duo will likely be good not only for Apple however for your complete foldable house. It’s taken a very long time for this type issue to actually decide up, and with Apple getting ready to promote hundreds of thousands of them, Android OEMs will likely be pushed to construct higher foldables and builders to construct higher large-screen apps. That finally means Android customers will reap the advantages too.