News
- Hands-on images show a visible crease on the new iPhone Duo
- It can be seen when the device is held at certain angles and in different lighting
- While Apple hasn't quite solved this common issue, its nano-texture layer significantly helps to reduce visibility
Apple finally unveiled the iPhone Duo at its ‘Surprise and Shine’ event, its first device in the foldable phone market, and from our first hands-on experiments with it I have to say, it looks rather impressive.
And yes, Apple has taken its sweet time to launch its first foldable (Samsung was ahead of the game in 2019 with the first Galaxy Fold device), but that’s likely due to Apple’s determination to solve one of the most annoying setbacks with folding phones — the display crease.
In the build-up to the iPhone Duo announcement, rumors suggested that the device’s folding display wouldn’t come with a visible crease. However, early hands-on images appear to show that Apple might not have quite got the results it was looking for.
It hasn’t even been 24 hours since the iPhone Duo was announced, and Redditors are already pointing out its partially visible crease, which you can see when the device is held at different angles and in certain lighting (see below).
Not a bad crease but the media saying there is none just doesn’t want to be canceled by Apple from r/iPhoneFoldI’m not one to be picky, but despite the matte smoothness of the folding nano-texture display — which helps to significantly reduce the visibility of the crease — there’s a clear vertical dip that runs through the centre of the iPhone Duo’s 7.6-inch screen. Apple knew this would be one of the most-asked questions, and the company has come equipped with all the answers you could need on the iPhone Duo product page.
‘iPhone Duo features a wonderfully flat and smooth inner display with custom nano-texture finish technology to reduce glare and reflections for an uninterrupted viewing experience. The optically clear adhesives let the display layers glide as the screen folds, minimising stress and creasing’.
Unfortunately, Apple hasn’t quite hit the nail on the head with overcoming one of the biggest obstacles with folding phones, but at the same time, eliminating the crease entirely is almost an impossible task. Think about it: if you’re constantly folding and unfolding the device several times a day, then this is going to have an obvious visual impact on the device over time — which is the case for all foldables.
Luckily for Apple, it appears that users aren’t entirely concerned with the slight visibility of the iPhone Duo’s crease.
Several owners of foldable phones shared on Reddit that once you’ve used a foldable for some time, the crease becomes invisible to you simply because you just get used to it being there. Others have been a bit more abrasive: ‘I'll never understand the people who make the crease a big deal,’ one user added, while another simply commented ‘I have a folding phone. The crease is a complete non-issue’. They must be a Galaxy Fold owner, surely.
@techradar ♬ Candy - Lane 8 & Quentin QuiveraCriticism aside, our first hands-on with the iPhone Duo was far from a let down. Our Editor-at-Large, Lance Ulanoff, recalls having very minimal issues with the device’s crease. From our first-look images, the crease is unidentifiable when the phone is held face-on, and the matte display helps to get rid of that annoying glare.
For its first foldable phone I have to say, Apple has done pretty much all it can for it to join the folding device market seven years behind its biggest rivals. Despite the lack of features such as Face ID and Action Button, the iPhone Duo looks like a solid beginning for Apple’s next big venture — even if I’m not the biggest fan of the name.
Elegoo is running a massive limited-time sale on 3D printers right now - but for my money, the one you want to check out is the Centauri Carbon 2 Combo for $369 (was $449). And in the UK, Elegoo's multi-color 3D printer is down to £329 (was £398).
We awarded this 3D printer 4.5 stars and a TechRadar Pro Recommends badge after putting this one through its paces in our workshop. It's easily the best budget multi-color unit you can get right now.
The enclosed CoreXY printer uses Elegoo's excellent CANVAS system to print with up to four colors, while its 350°C nozzle opens the door to a wide range of materials. You also get automatic calibration, a 256 x 256 x 256mm build volume and printing speeds of up to 500mm/s.
Today's top Elegoo 3D printer dealCentauri Carbon 2 Combo 3D Printer: was $449 now $369
Elegoo's 3D printer offers four-color printing, a 256 x 256 x 256mm build volume, 500mm/s maximum speed, 350°C nozzle, CoreXY system, automatic calibration, Wi-Fi, and enclosed chamber.
In the UK: now £329 (was £398)View Deal
Why we recommend itIn his rave 4.5-star review, our expert Alastair said the "Carbon 2 Combo impresses, offering one of the cheapest and most reliable multifilament machines on the market."
He summed it up saying: "Not only does it stand alongside some of the market leaders, but because it's able to handle engineering materials and has that fully enclosed environment, it is one of the best-value 3D printers on the market."
The CANVAS system is fantastic if you want to create more colorful models without manually changing filament during a print. Its four-color capability gives you much more freedom for making decorative models, signs, toys, and other projects.
The 350°C hardened-steel nozzle and enclosed chamber allow the Centauri Carbon 2 to work with PLA, PETG, ABS, and ASA, and Elegoo also lists support for PC, PA, and fiber-reinforced filaments.
For more options, take a look at our round up of the best 3D printers we've tested, including the Centauri Carbon 2 which we rated as the best budget multi-color device, and the best 3D printer deals we've seen this week.
Price context & historical valueElegoo has reduced the Centauri Carbon 2 Combo from $449 to $369, saving you $80, or almost 18%. That's the lowest price I've found for the four-color 3D printer, matching a previous $369 deal from June. It's also on sale in the UK for £329, down from its usual £398.
There's also a discount on the optional Centauri Series Accessory Kit. It's currently $30 instead of $59.99 in the US (£40.79 down from £67.99 in the UK) when purchased as an add-on.
Should you buy it?✅ Buy the Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2 Combo if...
You want to move beyond single-color 3D printing without spending a fortune on a multicolor setup. CANVAS provides four-color printing out of the box, while the enclosed design and high-temperature nozzle give you room to experiment with more demanding materials as your skills develop.
❌ Skip the Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2 Combo if...
You primarily produce very large models. Its 256 x 256 x 256mm build volume is ample for many projects, but bigger prints may need to be divided into multiple pieces, so a large-format printer would be a better choice.
The Catch: What to know before you buyElegoo quotes a maximum printing speed of 500mm/s, but its recommended speed is 250mm/s. I'd treat the higher figure as the printer's upper limit rather than the speed you'd expect for every model and material.
It's also a large machine. At 500 x 480 x 743mm and 19.35kg, you'll need a sizable, sturdy surface, particularly if you're used to a smaller open-frame printer.
- IBM and NASA launch open source AI model to help further lunar research
- Researchers will be able to better analyze petabytes of Moon data from last five decades
- IBM and NASA also release dataset for public usage and analysis
IBM has launched a new open source AI model it hopes will help spur on NASA researchers in their push to get humanity back to the Moon.
The new NASA-IBM Lunar Foundation model, available on Hugging Face, will allow researchers to analyze decades of lunar observation data, and identify geological features that are critical to understand for NASA as it looks to build a sustained human presence on the Moon.
The model has been trained by IBM and NASA researchers on a huge, multimodal NASA dataset, which will also be released alongside the model, providing wider access to the latest advanced AI systems in a bid to push on wider progress in lunar exploration.
To the Moon (and beyond)At its most obvious level, the model will allow a much easier way for researchers to study petabytes of data gathered on the Moon's surface for potentially hazardous locations such as ice deposits or craters.
Currently, scientists often rely on manual analysis or low-resolution, task-specific AI models, which can be not only computationally demanding, but also often lack the accuracy needed for detailed geographic analysis.
The new release will now mean that instead of needing to build a new AI model for every potential issue, scientists can now adapt a single foundation model to investigate a range of lunar geologic features.
The model has already proved useful, identifying craters and volcanic features far more accurately (see below) and significantly reducing errors in locating potential ice deposits.
(Image credit: IBM)IBM, which has worked with NASA for over five decades, including on the Apollo missions, believes the model could help future astronauts navigate safely and even find essential resources, as well as helping scientists better understand the Moon's geological history.
“Uncovering the mysteries of the Moon requires an ability to learn from an extraordinary volume of scientific data,” said Juan Bernabe-Moreno, Director of IBM Research Europe, UK and Ireland.
“The NASA-IBM Lunar Foundation Model gives scientists a foundation to explore the Moon at scale, connecting observations across instruments, revealing patterns that are difficult to see in isolation, and providing an open platform the global research community can build on.”
The release of the dataset will mark the first time a unified, publicly-available cache has been made available and ready for machine learning. It brings together over 30 spatially aligned layers from nine instruments across four missions, including tens of thousands of images and maps showing unique geophysical properties of the lunar surface from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and NASA’s GRAIL mission.
Identifying lunar ice deposits could be particularly vital, as the presence of both water and oxygen will be crucial to establishing a human base on the Moon, and even creating rocket fuel for future Mars missions.
Scanning the Moon's volcanic features, known as Iregular Mare Patches, can allow scientists to better understand the Moon's volcanic history and thermal evolution, as well as helping identify potential sites for landing and other surface operations.
Finally, studying the Moon's craters can offer a wealth of information on its history, including the age of different terrains, their geology, and even the chemical composition of the early lunar interior - as well as again helping to identify safe landing sites without hazards such as steep slopes and boulders.