I took two iPhones on vacation. The Duo won me over.

The iPhone Duo has its frustrations, but it’s also fun and engaging enough that I didn’t want to switch back to my Pro Max. “I think I’m going to switch back to my other iPhone.” I’ll admit, I said this multiple times during my five-day vacation with the new iPhone Duo, after encountering frustrations with broken apps, unfamiliar gestures (a return to Touch ID, argh!), and camera concerns that had me lugging around two phones. By the time the trip was over, I didn’t want to go back. When I first unboxed the Duo, a loaner from Apple, I was genuinely intrigued. I felt a flutter of anticipation as I peeled back the factory seal wrap and booted up the device.

In retrospect, this was probably the first signal that Duo was going to ultimately win me over. As a tech reporter, I’ve received a lot of test devices over the years, so unfortunately, opening a package with a new gadget inside is no longer the thrill it used to be. But sometime in the days leading up to the Duo’s ship date, I found myself actually wanting one – I had started doing the math and comparing upgrade options that would allow me to afford the $2K the phone would cost. I started scrolling TikTok reviews of Duo cases.