The iPhone Duo is all about that big inner screen and the experience with it, but there is one small compromise that Apple made to achieve this uninterrupted, all-screen look.
That compromise is that it went with an almost invisible under-display selfie camera on the inner screen. Most times, you can barely see it's there, but when you open up the camera, Apple has a clever interface that shows a black outline around it, so you know where to look.
Most of the time, you don't even notice the under-display camera on the inner screen | Image by PhoneArena
Of course, an under-display camera is not perfect. Since it sits under the glass and the matte screen layer, the quality is a bit hazy.
So that's why, I think that, unless you really need that inner screen preview, the best way to take a selfie on the iPhone Duo is with the outer screen camera.
The outer display camera offers better quality | Image by PhoneArena
This one is a traditional selfie camera, similar to the one on the iPhone 18 Pro, and it also uses a square sensor, so you can switch between horizontal and vertical selfies without actually rotating the phone itself.
It's not quite the same one as on the iPhone 18 Pro, though. The iPhone Duo outer screen camera features a 12MP resolution, so detail is a bit lower than the 18MP selfie camera on the 18 Pro series.
Inner vs Outer selfie camera (outdoors)
< InnerOuter >
For this comparison, I specifically wanted to focus on the difference in quality between the inner and the outer display cameras.
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As you can see, detail on the inner display camera is significantly lower than on the outer display one. It's a noticeable drop in quality.
Inner vs Outer selfie camera (indoors)
< InnerOuter >
Indoors, with lower light, such a camera has an even tougher job and you can see more noise on this second selfie. And again, detail from the outer display camera is clearly better.
So it's clear that if you want a good looking selfie you should NOT use the inner display camera. It's uncomfortable to take a selfie with the phone open anyway.
If you are often on FaceTime or video calls, though, it's still nice that Apple includes a camera for those occasions. Still, most people probably don't make video calls all that often, or at least they can also do that on the cover screen, so I appreciate Apple going for a hidden under-display camera that preserved the uninterrupted, all-screen look of the inner display.
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Victor, a seasoned mobile technology expert, has spent over a decade at PhoneArena, exploring the depths of mobile photography and reviewing hundreds of smartphones across Android and iOS ecosystems. His passion for technology, coupled with his extensive knowledge of smartphone cameras and battery life, has positioned him as a leading voice in the mobile tech industry.
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