Consumer technology major Apple Inc. (AAPL, Financials) is getting excellent early reviews for its first foldable smartphone ahead of Friday’s unveiling.
The iPhone Duo opens to a 7.6-inch display and has been lauded for its small form factor, durable-feeling hinge and near-invisible seam.
Several reviewers stated Apple’s initial foray into foldables felt more polished than previous generations of rival foldables. Demand also seems healthy.
Many of the pre-order deliveries have already been pushed back to late January, indicating the early supply is failing to keep up with demand. But there are evident trade-offs to the technology.
Some applications aren’t yet optimized for its odd aspect ratio, and the $2,000 price point is much above that of a conventional iPhone. Apple also moved Touch ID to the power button, replacing Face ID, and also removed a separate zoom camera.
Duo provides Apple another premium hardware segment as it grows tougher for investors to push smartphone upgrades.
The second thing to look for is whether strong early demand develops into persistent demand following the original launch window.
