Apple is reportedly testing iPhone Duo 2 prototypes with Face ID, which would bring back the sensor the first foldable had to leave out. The iPhone Duo goes on sale tomorrow, October 23, with Touch ID in the side button.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman shared the details on his Power On podcast. He says the iPhone Duo 2 prototypes inside Apple include Face ID, with the sensor built beneath the display on the outer screen.
Face ID Would Sit Under the iPhone Duo 2’s Outer Display
The 5.4-inch outer display has a 12MP Center Stage camera in a standard cutout. Hiding the Face ID sensor behind the panel would let Apple add face unlock without adding more hardware to that cutout.
The first model uses Touch ID instead of Face ID, and fitting the sensor array into the thin enclosure appears to be what kept it off. Apple Watch unlock is the workaround for now, and Apple Pay, app sign-ins and purchases all run through the fingerprint sensor in the side button.
Launch reviews of the iPhone Duo praised the hinge, the nearly invisible crease and the A20 Pro chip. The missing Face ID still turned up in the downsides of several write-ups.
One reviewer said Touch ID took the most getting used to, while another got comfortable with it in less than a day. Marques Brownlee points to a delay before the phone opens after each Touch ID unlock. Pre-order demand has been strong regardless, and Apple has reportedly raised iPhone Duo orders to 14 million.
The iPhone 18 Pro puts the Face ID infrared camera under the display, which is how Apple shrank the Dynamic Island. That change shows Apple has been working to make Face ID smaller and less obtrusive.
For the iPhone Duo 2 and the twentieth anniversary iPhone Pro, the next step would be moving both the infrared camera and the flood illuminator behind the screen. That would allow an even smaller bezel or Dynamic Island cutout.
Testing the hardware in prototypes does not guarantee it ships. Apple appears to be aiming for next year, so Face ID could arrive on the iPhone Duo 2 or, if development slips, on the iPhone Duo 3.
In September, Bloomberg reported that Apple planned to bring Face ID to the third-generation iPhone Duo through smaller components and AI-driven processing. The prototype testing points to a possible move up by one generation. A second-generation iPhone Duo is widely expected next fall.
The iPhone Duo starts at $1,999 for 256GB and is available in Night Sky and Star White.
