Engadget's Deven McClure compares Apple's upcoming iPhone Duo foldable with the seventh-generation iPad Mini, and the most immediate difference is price. The Duo starts at $2,000 for 256GB of storage and reaches $3,200 for 2TB, while the iPad Mini starts at $600 for 128GB and tops out at $900 for 512GB, with cellular adding $150. McClure notes that a buyer could get a 256GB iPhone 18 Pro plus an iPad Mini for less than a Duo alone.
The Duo beats the Mini on raw hardware: it has an A20 Pro chip versus the A17 Pro, 12GB of RAM versus 8GB, a 7-core GPU versus 5-core, and a 48-megapixel main and ultra-wide camera setup versus a single 12MP wide lens. The Mini, however, has a larger 8.3-inch display compared to the Duo's 7.6-inch inner screen, and the Duo's 120Hz ProMotion screens do not make up for the Mini's advantages in iPadOS multitasking and Apple Pencil Pro support. The Duo only supports the USB-C Pencil, and even that support arrives after launch.
For the business audience, the comparison highlights a deliberate market split: the Duo aims to collapse phone and tablet into one premium device, while the Mini remains a lower-cost, purpose-built option for longform work and creative tasks. McClure suggests that buyers who want two-screen multitasking, do not need the Pencil Pro, and can absorb the price premium should consider the Duo, but also cautions that the foldable's long-term durability is unproven. A rumored new iPad Mini with specs closer to the Duo could narrow the gap further, but until it arrives, the decision rests largely on whether users value a single device over a separate, distraction-free tablet.