Apple is emailing some iPhone Duo buyers a survey that asks why they bought the foldable and how they feel about its crease and under-display camera.
The first question asks why the buyer chose the iPhone Duo now. Listed answers include "I wanted to try Apple's first foldable," "It was an impulse purchase," and "I expect smartphone prices to increase." Later questions ask about the size of the display when the phone is closed, how visible the crease is, whether the under-display camera is distracting, and how good its image quality is. The last question is open-ended: what would the buyer add or change? The survey also touches on other features.
It lands roughly two weeks after launch. Apple often surveys buyers after a new product debuts, so the mailing itself is routine.
The answer options are the more telling part. They separate curiosity buyers from impulse buyers and from people hedging against higher prices, which suggests Apple wants to know whether the Duo is reaching early adopters or a wider crowd. The hardware questions go after the two compromises a foldable forces: a crease where the screen bends, and a camera tucked beneath the display.
Reviews and user reports point to a different set of complaints. Touch ID, the experience of using apps that are not optimized for the foldable screen, and display cracks that some users have reported are all among the top Duo complaints. None of them appear in the questions described, though the open-ended final question gives buyers room to raise them.
Because this is Apple's first foldable, it has no earlier model of its own to benchmark against. That may make the free-text box worth more than the multiple-choice questions.