Editorials · Reviewer Insight
Here's how the iPhone Duo paves the way for next year's all-glass iPhone 20
The stage is set for Apple's anniversary 2027 iPhone.
This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
All screen, no interrutpions.
John Ternus has already made history. Apple's first foldable iPhone Duo will debut during his tenure as CEO of the company, and that's one for the history books. But the new chief at the helm might one-up this memorable launch with an even more intriguing one, that of Apple's long-rumored anniversary iPhone 20.
Yes, in 2027 we will be celebrating 20 years of iPhone, and what better way to commemorate that than by releasing a device that pushes the company's design and hardware divisions to the maximum? That's what the rumor mill has been heavily implying, and so far, we have no reasons to believe the iPhone 20 isn't happening.
iPhone 20, what will it be?
We're talking about a device that will employ an uninterrupted display without a Dynamic Island or any other notch, with a screen spanning edge-to-edge with no bezels surrounding it. While a curved glass display has been ruled out by some industry insiders, a potential waterfall glass effect like on the Apple Watch might still be employed. Other premium design elements are still possible, of course.
But the most striking design feature, one that will set this iPhone apart from any other before it, will be the notch-less display.
The iPhone 20 will use an under-display FaceTime camera, while biometrics could be solved by either Face ID modules tucked under the screen or Touch ID tucked in the power button.
Sounds like a recipe for success.
The iPhone Duo will be the proof of concept
Well, with its latest foldable, Apple is paving the way for this anniversary device.
Probably the biggest surprise with the iPhone Duo that few foresaw was the under-screen camera on the inner display. Many assumed that Apple would go the logical route of putting a standard FaceTime or Center Stage camera on the inner screen, given that the Duo is their first foldable that could evolve this way in the future.
But Cupertino took the less likely option in order to achieve an uninterrupted screen, one that I applaud. This means the iPhone Duo will essentially be the test bed for the iPhone 20's main party trick.
The quality problem
The only major problem? The quality.
There's no way you can get the same quality out of an under-screen camera when compared to a conventional selfie one. This has been the case with any device with such a camera that I've ever seen or used, no matter if it were the Galaxy Z Fold 3 or any of Nubia's top gaming smartphones like the Z70 Ultra. All of these had pretty unimpressive and mediocre image quality, which didn't really inspire confidence.
Will the iPhone Duo suffer from the same issue? Hard to say just yet as I have not played with the Duo, but from what I can gather online, the quality isn't something Apple wants to stress on.
In fact, it appears that even Apple CEO John Ternus is actively discouraging influencers like iShowSpeed from testing the under-display inner camera and is insisting on using the rear one with the image previewed on the outer screen. The body language is pretty telling here, just notice how the CEO takes away the phone away from the influencer whenever he tries to take a selfie with the inner camera.
But with the Duo, users won't be locked in to use the inner selfie camera, as they have two other ways of taking selfies (the rear or the cover screen cameras). This sort of alleviates the potentially not impressive inner FaceTime camera.
However, iPhone 20 users wouldn't have that same option, it will either be the under-display camera or bust.
Could Apple potentially turn under-display selfie cameras from just passably average to indistinguishable from standard ones? I doubt that, but then again, I might be forced to eat my words in a year's time.
Conlusion
So, no two ways around it, the iPhone Duo just paved the way for the iPhone 20. Provided that Apple wants to do an anniversary device––and there are no indications this one would happen––then there's precedent in the roster already, one that can be built upon and improved.
When it comes to that, leave it to Apple to deliver.
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