A new video shows the iPhone Duo being used in the left hand, and the verdict is that it works well enough. The clip comes from a right-handed reviewer who ran the test for the benefit of left-handed buyers.
The video was posted on Instagram by Tom Hitchins (@bytereview), and spotted by 9to5Mac. Hitchins looks a little uncomfortable holding the phone but he explained in the comments that this is because he is right-handed.
The iPhone Duo Is Built Around the Right Hand
With the phone closed, the left edge of the outer display is flat and straight because that is where the hinge sits. The right side has curved corners that invite you to open the phone like a book. That hinge is the part Apple’s hardware chief has called the hardest problem to solve.
The dock also sits on the right side of the outer display. Apple has not said whether an accessibility setting will let people move it to the left.
The outer display measures 5.4 inches and the inner display measures 7.6 inches. The full spec sheet is in our launch rundown, and more of the design quirks are covered in the details Apple did not mention on stage.
A Left-Handed Grip Can Reach the Dock, but Hand Size Will Decide
In the video, Hitchins reaches from the left side of the outer display all the way across to the dock on the right. He is able to do it, which is why the video lands on “works well enough.” It is still a single test by someone who does not normally hold a phone in his left hand. Everyone’s hands are different, so people with smaller hands may find the reach harder than he did.
The question also applies to right-handed people. For users who hold their iPhone in their left hand, the iPhone Duo’s right-side dock and right-side opening motion could take some adjusting.
Trying the phone in an Apple Store is the only reliable way to check how it fits your hand. Pre-orders for the iPhone Duo open on October 16, and the phone launches on October 23.
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Our Take
One video from a right-handed tester is not enough to settle this. If I were left-handed, or a right-handed person who holds a phone in my left hand, I would want a few minutes with the iPhone Duo in a store before pre-ordering. A setting to move the dock to the left would make the question go away, but it might not fit at all with the design ethos of the phone considering its asymmetric design.
