Apple is reportedly testing prototypes of a second-generation iPhone Duo with Face ID beneath the display. The upgrade would address a frequent complaint about the company’s first foldable iPhone, which relies on Touch ID instead of facial recognition.
Plus, this is apparently another sign that Apple is working to get rid of the Dynamic Island from all iPhones.
Face ID could arrive on iPhone Duo 2, removing a major compromise
As Apple’s first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo sports a book-style design that gives users a compact phone for everyday use that can open into something closer to a small iPad with more room for apps, video and multitasking.
While it has a cutting-edge design, Apple had to make compromises to achieve the slim profile: 0.21 inches. One of those is forgoing the sensors needed for Face ID, and going to Touch ID — fingerprint recognition in the handset’s power button.
But this limitation might go away with the next-generation model, according to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman. Or perhaps the third-generation once.
“I’m told there are iPhone Duo 2 prototypes at Apple already that have an under-display Face ID sensor and camera on the outside screen. So that is something we could see. So I would anticipate this Touch ID to Face ID thing is fixed by the first update or the second update. So in the next two to three years or so,” Gurman said on his Power On podcast on Wednesday.
There’s evidence to back up this unconfirmed claim. Apple made the iPhone 18 Pro’s Dynamic Island smaller by moving one of Face ID’s infrared components beneath the display.
Face ID without a Dynamic Island
iPhone Duo does not include a Dynamic Island at all, the large screen cutout included in other Apple handsets. And note that Gurman’s prediction of under-display Face ID in iPhone Duo 2 wouldn’t change that.
Moving the entire facial-recognition system beneath the display could let Apple restore Face ID without requiring a prominent sensor cutout on the outer screen.
That said, the iPhone Duo 2 prototypes don’t have Face ID on the inner screen, just the outer. If that holds true for the device when it launches next year, users would need to remember to unlock the handset before opening it.
Of course, the device could include two of them — one for each screen. But Face ID uses more than a simple camera – there’s also a 3D sensor that is not a cheap component. It might be hard to believe for a $1,999 handset, but Apple does need to control costs for the product.
Good news for all iPhone models?
The current iPhone Duo already has an under-display camera on the inner screen, but the outer screen has a small punch-hole camera cutout. Plus, there’s the under-display IR sensor in the iPhone 18 Pro.
Together, they show that Apple is moving away from the Dynamic Island. And this unconfirmed report of the entire Face ID system beneath the iPhone Duo 2 display could indicate it’s making large strides in that direction.
Ed Hardy has been writing full-time about tech for 26 years, and using it for much longer than that. His intro to Apple was a Macintosh SE/30 (which he still has), but now he uses a 13-inch iPad Pro as his primary computer.
That’s because he’s a “tablet first” type of guy. Rather than use a Macbook, he connects a keyboard case to the iPad. And instead of a desktop Mac, he connects his tablet to a 27-inch display and full-size keyboard. (So don’t try to tell him that everyone has to use a Mac to be productive.)
Before coming to Cult of Mac, Ed wrote for NotebookReview, TabletPCReview and Brighthand, as well as other sites.
