Since the unveiling of iPhone Duo, the idea of all major interface navigation elements being accessible from your thumb has been really interesting. Apple re-invented the idea of smartphone navigation with the outer display on iPhone Duo, and now it feels quite wrong that every smartphone puts things at the top.
Everyone yearns for the days of when phones were smaller, largely because things were more reachable. The downside to that is that, well, your screen is quite small, and the content landscape has evolved from that.
iPhone Duo solves both of these problems by still offering a reasonably large rectangular viewing area to the left of the dock and navigation area on the right. You still get a large viewing area, and you still have everything within a thumbs reach.
Ever since Apple showed this off, many enthusiasts have brought up the idea of an “iPhone Solo,” ie an iPhone Duo sized display, except it isn’t a foldable.
Okay made my own iPhone Solo and yeah this definitely needs to exist, absolutely love this https://t.co/q1kkfiUxVT pic.twitter.com/OCKrwh0H3V
While I doubt Apple would offer this, I do think it’s quite an interesting idea, and maybe one day it could make sense depending on how well the iPhone Duo does. If you think about it, the current form factor of smartphones is a matter of happenstance. We had 16:9 displays, then we decided to axe all the bezels and the home button, which turned phones into this oddly tall device where things aren’t really reachable.
iPhone Duo rethought what a smartphone’s form factor should be. Apple didn’t merely slap normal iOS on the outside display and call it a day. They rethought it to make it optimal, and now I envy the fact that my phone is so tall.
I actually like the layout of the screen on the a Duo. I’d love to see an option to put the dock on the side vertically on a regular iPhone. And the Duo’s control center is a nice touch as well.
We’ll see what happens. An iPhone Solo could easily happen if people receive the Duo’s outer screen well.
What do you think of the iPhone Solo concept? Would you buy one? Let us know in the comments below.
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Michael is a 9to5Mac Reporter, leading all of our Apple news coverage on weekends and reviewing the newest Apple products and accessories. He got started in the world of Apple news during the pandemic, and it became a growing hobby. He’s also an indie iOS developer, and started the weekly Indie App Spotlight series, which has covered hundreds of blooming new apps since it launched. In his free time, he enjoys shooting street photography around New York City on his Sony A7RV.
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Despite a new version reportedly being around a corner, I still personally believe AirPods Pro 2 are a great deal. They're already equipped with USB-C, and continually gain new software features. With them consistently going on sale, it's a great purchase to make. Features like Adaptive Audio are incredible.
