The Duo Vinci Code: Ten iPhone Duo details you may have missed

To accommodate the wide internal display, Apple reoriented several UI elements vertically along the right edge. Lock screen controls, navigation buttons, the home dock, and even the Dynamic Island now appear vertically and slide open vertically for information. The power button that also functions as a fingerprint scanner shares the same side as these controls.

Volume buttons are mounted on the top edge, aligned slightly toward the right. That placement contrasts with most modern phones and foldables, which put volume keys on a side rail. The article also flags an unusual USB‑C placement, though it does not specify the exact position beyond calling it unconventional.

Pencil on both internal and external displays. Support is limited to the basic USB‑C Apple Pencil. That Pencil lacks pressure sensitivity features and the double‑tap gesture found on the Pencil Pro, and it charges by cable rather than magnetically.

Control button similar to other recent iPhones. It does not include Apple's Action button, a multi‑use physical control found on other models. The article also notes the absence of some Pro camera controls but does not enumerate which controls are missing.

Take and a circular status bar, items called out among the device's novel elements. Smart Take was listed among the device's hidden details, indicating new camera or capture behaviors tied to the foldable form factor.

Many of the changes are ergonomic responses to the Duo's width and hinge. Vertical UI placement and the right-side fingerprint/power button aim to make single‑hand reachability easier on a wider display. Hardware choices such as top-mounted volume keys, the USB‑C Pencil restriction, and the omission of the Action button will directly affect how users interact with the phone day to day, and could influence accessory choices for people expecting full Pencil Pro capabilities or customary button locations.

The iPhone Duo packs distinct design and interaction shifts: visible material upgrades and pen support are balanced against unusual button and port placements and the absence of some expected controls. These tradeoffs will shape early impressions and practical usability once the Duo is in hand.