HilliTech's Newsletter: Three little tablets

I'm on a short vacation to attend a friend's wedding, so here are a few thoughts about the goings-on while I've been away.

Testing iPhone Duo

I'm going to save my thoughts for the wider review, but I will say this is a very interesting device to test. It's a whole-new way to use iOS and I'm actually a big fan of the outer display.

The camera system is also great. I'll be doing a separate camera write up at some point, but I'll note no one I've heard discuss the iPhone Duo camera has nailed it. Well, except for professional photographers like Tyler Stallman.

It seems like every time MKBHD tries to discuss the iPhone Duo camera he knocks off a generation. Last I heard him say it he compared it to the iPhone 15, where previously he at least said something closer to iPhone 17e. None of these are correct though.

I can see where he and others are arriving at these conclusions, at least on paper the specs are an odd mix of various iPhone cameras. The end result is a completely new system that needs to be tested and compared properly.

MKBHD talks about pixel peeping to see the difference between various models, but no one is really going to do this. It feels as silly as destroying an iPhone for views. Sure, it gets you some entertainment value, but it isn't representative of normal use.

From my minimal testing over the weekend I struggle to find identifiable differences between my iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone Duo Main camera photos. Yes, dim conditions will result in slightly better performance from the iPhone 17 Pro Max sensors. However, iPhone Duo's superior image signal processor and latest photography pipeline make better decisions with some situations.

Again, you have to really be digging around a photo to notice these things. The iPhone has been a great camera for years and I find it somewhat amusing when these tech influencers act disappointed when a camera system has some compromises that make it on par with gasp, last year's model.

From my experience, the iPhone Duo takes some amazing photos. Of course I miss the telephoto lens, but as I'll try to demonstrate in my camera comparison piece, I doubt anyone but the most scrutinizing folks will even notice.

iPad mini 8

Apple has revealed multiple devices with small displays that are used for very different tasks. The Apple HomeView, the iPhone Duo, and the iPad mini 8. Of course, there will be some crossover of functions and use cases.

I can say very adamantly I have no use for the new iPad mini. The iPhone Duo has a 7.6-inch display versus the new 8.5-inch display, but it is better in nearly every other mark. I love my iPhone that can become an iPad, and while iPad mini runs iPadOS, I never took advantage of that on the smaller model. Split View is perfect for this size.

There are some that have said that you can replace HomeView with an iPad, but the iPad mini starts at $700, double the cost of HomeView. Sure, there are cheaper iPads, but none at this size.

I'm glad Apple isn't afraid to have various devices so close in function that they can cannibalize each other. It's fun seeing the various conversations around these products, but I think we should just use what works. For me, iPhone Duo at $2,500 makes more sense than an iPhone 18 Pro Max at $1,500 and an iPad mini at $1,100 with 512GB and Nano Texture.

Vacation time

I'm out of town testing iPhone Duo and attending a wedding, so that's why this is out on a Monday and shorter than normal. I'm excited to write my iPhone Duo review and get that out soon, so keep an eye out for that.