iPhone Duo videos show off split keyboard and iPad-style multitasking

Apple’s iPhone Duo hands-on videos show how its foldable design changes everyday tasks, with a split keyboard, book-style reading mode and iPad-style multitasking across the two screens.

The clips, gathered by 9to5Mac ahead of the phone’s October launch, offer a closer look at software Apple described more generally when it announced the device. The iPhone Duo has a 5.4-inch outer display and a 7.6-inch folding display, with iOS 27 adapting to how the phone is held.

iPhone Duo split keyboard is designed for two thumbs

When the inner display is held horizontally, the keyboard separates into two compact halves. Each side sits closer to the user’s thumb, rather than stretching a conventional phone keyboard across the middle of a much wider screen.

The videos also show typing on the outer display and on the open phone held vertically. The smaller screen looks closer to a conventional iPhone, while the inner display gives the user more room when the device is held like a small tablet.

iPhone Duo multitasking borrows from the iPad

When the phone is held sideways, the main content sits on the right and a sidebar on the left, giving system apps a layout familiar from iPadOS. The demonstrations show two apps running side by side, along with the ability to use the fold as part of the interface rather than treating it as dead space.

A separate reading demonstration uses the phone partly folded, with a page-turn animation that imitates a physical book. Other clips show gaming, camera features and StandBy mode, giving the phone several positions beyond simply open or closed.

Apple says iPhone Duo pre-orders begin on 16 October, with availability from 23 October in more than 70 countries and regions, including the UAE. The company has not yet published UAE pricing in the material linked here. Our iPhone Duo UAE price and specs guide covers the launch details, while the iPhone Duo vs Galaxy Z Fold8 comparison looks at the wider foldable-phone choice.

The hands-on clips do not replace a full review, but they answer a practical question the launch presentation could not: whether the iPhone Duo’s extra screen is useful when it is doing ordinary phone things.