8 iPhone Duo Features Android Foldables Need to Copy: Is Apple Raising the Bar?

Apple has finally entered the foldable smartphone market with the iPhone Duo. After years of letting Samsung, Google, Motorola, and other Android manufacturers experiment with foldable devices, Apple is now bringing its own approach to the category.

But the iPhone Duo isn't simply about having a screen that folds.

Apple has also introduced several features that make its first foldable look surprisingly mature, especially considering this is the company's first generation.

And that's where things get interesting.

Some of the iPhone Duo's features may sound familiar to Android users. Others, however, highlight areas where Android foldable manufacturers could still improve.

Here are 8 iPhone Duo features that Samsung, Google, Motorola, and other Android foldable makers should seriously consider bringing back or improving.

1. Stylus Support Shouldn't Disappear

One of the most interesting features of the iPhone Duo is its support for Apple Pencil on both the cover display and the inner foldable screen.

And honestly, it makes a lot of sense.

When you unfold a smartphone and suddenly have a display that feels much closer to a mini tablet, having a stylus becomes extremely useful.

You can use it for taking notes, drawing, editing documents, signing PDFs, marking up files, or simply writing down ideas.

That's why stylus support should arguably be one of the defining features of premium foldables.

Interestingly, Android has recently moved in the opposite direction.

Samsung previously offered S Pen support on its Galaxy Z Fold lineup, but the feature has not remained a consistent part of the newest generations.

That's a strange direction when the entire point of a foldable is to give users more screen space.

If you're already carrying a device that transforms into a mini tablet, why not let users take advantage of that screen with a proper stylus?

2. IP68 Protection Should Be Standard

The second feature Android foldables should copy is IP68 dust and water resistance.

Foldable smartphones have traditionally been viewed as more fragile than conventional flagship phones.

The hinge, flexible display, and complicated internal construction naturally create additional engineering challenges.

But customers paying premium prices expect premium protection.

The iPhone Duo comes with IP68 protection, putting it closer to the durability standards users already expect from high-end smartphones.

Android Authority notes that Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 still doesn't offer full IP68 protection, while Google has already demonstrated that this level of protection is possible on a foldable.

That raises a simple question:

If a foldable can be made thinner, lighter, and more sophisticated every year, why should water and dust protection still be treated as a compromise?

For a phone that can cost close to $2,000 or more, durability shouldn't feel like an optional luxury.

3. Don't Get Rid of Flex Mode

This might be one of the most important features on the entire list.

Flex Mode allows a foldable phone to remain partially open at different angles.

That means you can place the phone on a table for a video call, use the main cameras for selfies, watch content hands-free, or divide the screen into separate content and control areas.

The problem is that some newer hinge designs have started moving away from this kind of functionality.

And that feels like a mistake.

The ability to position a foldable at different angles is one of the things that makes the form factor genuinely useful.

If improving the hinge means sacrificing one of the most practical foldable features, users may end up losing more than they gain.

The iPhone Duo shows that a modern hinge design and flexible usage don't necessarily have to be mutually exclusive.

4. Every Foldable Should Have an Anti-Reflective Display

Large foldable displays have one particularly annoying problem: reflections.

When you open a large inner display under bright lights or outdoors, reflections can make the screen much harder to see.

Apple is addressing this with a nano-texture finish on the iPhone Duo's inner display, designed to reduce glare and reflections.

The concept itself isn't completely new. Samsung has also introduced anti-reflective technology on its latest foldable displays.

But it shouldn't remain limited to only a handful of premium models.

If the large inner screen is one of the biggest reasons people buy a foldable, improving its visibility in real-world conditions should be a priority.

5. Native Qi2 Support Should No Longer Be Optional

The next feature may sound relatively minor, but it can make a significant difference in everyday use: native Qi2 support.

The iPhone Duo supports Apple's MagSafe ecosystem, allowing users to take advantage of magnetic accessories without needing a special third-party workaround.

Android foldables, however, still don't offer consistent native Qi2 support across the category.

That's becoming increasingly difficult to justify.

Magnetic wireless chargers, stands, battery packs, car mounts, and other accessories are becoming more common.

Having magnets built directly into a premium foldable makes those accessories significantly easier to use.

For expensive foldable phones, native Qi2 support should start becoming a standard feature rather than a bonus.

6. Under-Display Cameras Could Make Foldable Screens Cleaner

The iPhone Duo also uses an under-display camera on its inner screen.

That means there is no obvious camera cutout interrupting the large foldable display.

For a device designed to provide a tablet-like viewing experience, this is a compelling approach.

A punch-hole camera isn't necessarily a major problem, but a completely uninterrupted display naturally looks cleaner.

Samsung previously experimented with under-display cameras on several Galaxy Z Fold generations before eventually moving away from the technology.

Now that Apple is bringing the concept back into the spotlight, Android manufacturers may have a reason to reconsider it.

7. Foldable Manufacturers Need to Keep Fighting the Crease

If there is one visual characteristic that still immediately identifies a foldable phone, it's the display crease.

Flexible display technology has improved dramatically, but many foldables still have a visible or tactile crease where the display bends.

Apple's iPhone Duo appears to take another step toward making that crease significantly less noticeable.

If Apple can achieve an impressive result with its first foldable, Android manufacturers have even more reason to keep improving their own displays.

Samsung and other companies have already spent years developing foldable phones.

Consumers therefore expect every new generation to do more than simply become thinner.

The ultimate goal should be a foldable display that feels increasingly similar to a conventional smartphone screen when you're using it normally.

8. Give Users a 2TB Storage Option

The final feature won't be necessary for everyone, but it makes sense for an ultra-premium device: 2TB of internal storage.

The iPhone Duo offers a 2TB storage option, while some competing Android foldables currently top out at 1TB.

Of course, 2TB will be overkill for most users.

But foldable phones are expensive devices that many buyers expect to keep for several years.

As smartphone cameras capture larger photos and higher-resolution video, and as apps, games, documents, and media libraries continue to grow, additional storage can make a device more future-proof.

The obvious downside is price.

A 2TB foldable would likely be extremely expensive.

Still, giving customers the option is better than simply removing the choice altogether.

Apple Entered the Foldable Market Late, but That Could Be an Advantage

There's no denying that Apple is late to foldable smartphones.

Samsung has spent years developing the Galaxy Z Fold lineup, while Google, Motorola, Huawei, Xiaomi, OPPO, and other manufacturers have experimented with different foldable designs.

But Apple's late arrival also provides an important advantage.

Apple has been able to watch the market evolve before releasing its own product.

The company can see which technologies worked, which features were abandoned, and which problems users continue to complain about.

That's one reason the iPhone Duo's feature set is so interesting.

If you've been following Apple's foldable journey, you can also read our previous coverage of the iPhone Duo features Android users have already enjoyed for years to see the other side of Apple's strategy.

Should Android Copy Everything Apple Does?

Not necessarily.

Copying a feature doesn't mean Android manufacturers should simply recreate the iPhone Duo.

The real lesson is to identify which ideas actually improve the foldable experience.

Stylus support, IP68 protection, Flex Mode, anti-reflective displays, native Qi2, under-display cameras, reduced creases, and larger storage options all have legitimate reasons to exist.

And that's exactly why competition is good for consumers.

Now that Apple has entered the foldable market, Samsung and other Android manufacturers can't simply rely on their existing experience.

They have to keep improving.

The iPhone Duo Could Change the Foldable Smartphone Race

The iPhone Duo may be Apple's first foldable, but its impact could extend far beyond Apple's own sales numbers.

Apple has a unique ability to bring emerging product categories to mainstream consumers.

If the iPhone Duo attracts large numbers of buyers, Android manufacturers will have even more incentive to improve their hardware, software, durability, accessories, and multitasking experiences.

And ultimately, consumers benefit from that competition.

This could also be important for people who are still deciding whether it's finally time to switch from a conventional smartphone to a foldable.

If you're interested in how Apple arrived at this point, our previous coverage of the iPhone Fold 2026 and Apple's foldable smartphone development provides useful background.

Final Thoughts

The iPhone Duo isn't the world's first foldable smartphone.

In fact, several of its features have already appeared on Android devices.

But that's precisely what makes Apple's entry into the market so interesting.

Apple is showing that features that were once considered experimental in the foldable category can still be highly valuable when they are integrated into a polished hardware and software experience.

From stylus support, IP68 protection, Flex Mode, anti-reflective displays, Qi2, under-display cameras, reduced display creases, and 2TB storage, these features could become increasingly important benchmarks for premium foldable smartphones.

So Android manufacturers don't necessarily need to copy the iPhone Duo.

But they should definitely pay attention.

Because now that Apple has entered the foldable race, the next generation of Android foldables will have to work even harder to prove why consumers should choose them.

And if that competition continues, we may finally get what smartphone buyers have been waiting for: foldable phones that aren't just expensive devices with folding screens, but genuinely mature smartphones designed around the benefits of the form factor.