I took two iPhones on vacation. The Duo won me over.
The most telling detail here is that someone deliberately kept using a phone they admit has frustrations. That's rare. Most reviews of a Pro Max competitor end with a grudging "it's fine, but I'm going back." The Duo apparently broke that reflex, and that says more about it than any benchmark.
I'd want to know what "fun and engaging" actually means in practice. Is it the camera, the size, the software, the feel in hand? Because those are very different arguments. If it's the hardware and ergonomics, that's a durable win. If it's a gimmick that wears off after a week of normal life, the vacation glow might fade fast. The Pro Max is a workhorse, and choosing against it on a trip where you're shooting photos and navigating is a real trade-off.
I'm curious whether this holds up outside vacation mode. A phone that wins on a trip is easy to love; one that wins during a busy work week is harder. Still, it's a useful counterpoint to the assumption that the biggest, most capable Pro model is always the right pick. Sometimes the right phone is just the one you don't want to put down.