The iPhone Duo 2 could still ship without Face ID, according to a new report, because Apple has to lock in the phone’s hardware around now for a launch next fall. Apple already has iPhone Duo 2 prototypes with Face ID, but whether the feature makes the final model is a toss-up.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman set out the timeline in his Power On newsletter and said he has no wager either way. The current iPhone Duo unlocks with a fingerprint sensor in the side button, and Face ID is Apple’s top priority for the next model, code-named V78.
iPhone Duo 2 Face ID is the top priority
Apple engineers are still working to build Face ID into the outer display of the iPhone Duo 2. If the phone is going to launch next fall as planned, Apple needs to settle its hardware features right about now.
The first model uses Touch ID instead of Face ID, and several launch reviews listed the missing face unlock among its downsides. If Face ID misses the deadline, Gurman says it is still clearly at the top of Apple’s list for the model after.
Apple was earlier expected to bring Face ID to the iPhone Duo 3. Shipping Face ID on the iPhone Duo 2 would move the feature up by a generation.
An Action button comes next
Apple’s second priority for the iPhone Duo 2 is an Action button. The iPhone Duo has volume buttons, Camera Control and the Touch ID side button, but no Action button.
One option is to combine the Action button with Camera Control, which would save space inside the phone. Gurman says that approach makes sense because many users report rarely using the camera button, and a Weibo leaker has claimed Apple will merge the two buttons on new iPhones in the second half of 2027. Until then, you can bring back the Action button on your iPhone Duo with a Lock Screen folder of Shortcuts.
Apple also wants to add a telephoto camera and make the phone thinner and lighter over the next couple of generations. Today’s iPhone Duo gets its 2x telephoto from the 48MP Fusion Main camera, and it measures 11.3 mm thick when closed and weighs 254 grams.
Buyer feedback waits for iPhone Duo 3
Feedback from iPhone Duo buyers will not shape the hardware until the iPhone Duo 3. Apple has to finalize the second model so soon after the first one launched that there is no time to work in buyer survey results.
That means the iPhone Duo 2 will reflect priorities Apple set before it announced the first iPhone Duo. The iPhone Duo went on sale on October 23 and starts at $1,999 with 256GB of storage.
