iPhone Duo 2 could get the iPhone 18 Pro's Face ID, but Apple is running out of time

The iPhone Duo 2 is planned for next fall, and Apple wants Face ID on it, a feature that Apple's first Galaxy Z Fold 8 rival skipped, even though the iPhone 18 Pro has it. However, the company is quickly running out of time as the hardware should be locked in right about this time, making Face ID on it an eventuality that Bloomberg's Mark Gurman is calling a toss-up.

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Apple has to lock the Duo 2's hardware ASAP

In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's chief Apple correspondent, Mark Gurman, states that the iPhone Duo's successor (code-named V78) is currently planned for the fall of 2027. However, to hit that expected date, Apple would need to have its hardware features locked in right around now. Face ID is the top priority feature right now for the Duo 2, and while prototypes already exist, Apple engineers are reportedly still working on how to fit it into the outer display.



For context, we previously covered that Gurman had first said in his October 22 Power On podcast that Duo 2 prototypes had Face ID under the outer screen, and before that he'd pointed at the Duo 3 as the model that would have Face ID at all. So, today's update is actually the first time Gurman puts a deadline on it.

Fitting Face ID on a thin foldable is no easy task, but users want it anyway

Currently, the iPhone Duo unlocks with Touch ID, which is placed on the power button on the side of the phone. In our Duo review, we found Touch ID to be surprisingly sluggish across all the ways that you hold the device. It does work in every position you put the phone in, though it just isn't as quick as using Face ID.



It should be noted that Gurman says feedback from current iPhone Duo owners won't actually change anything on the Duo hardware until the Duo 3. This means that what is currently planned for the Duo 2 reflects priorities decided upon before the first Duo was even announced, and it is currently too late to take any feedback into consideration.

To understand why Face ID is so hard to fit, you must know that it runs on Apple's TrueDepth camera that projects and reads thousands of invisible dots to build a depth map of your face while also capturing an infrared image of your face. These TrueDepth parts normally sit in a cutout, which was first called the notch and then later became the Dynamic Island. On the iPhone 18 Pro, Apple reportedly started moving these parts under the screen, allowing the Dynamic Island to be shrunk.

All this is harder to do on the Duo with it being just 5.2mm thick unfolded, and with the Duo being able to be used both open and closed, placing Face ID in one spot wouldn't cover both screens. A fall launch means that the hardware has to be settled about a year ahead of release, and if Apple cannot make Face ID fit by then, I'm assuming it'll have to wait a full generation.

I came across a Reddit thread in r/iPhoneDuo, where u/Qu1ckset asked whether Face ID would come to both the front and the inside display and whether Apple would add a notch to the inner screen to accommodate it. The reply that stood out to me was from u/manateefourmation, who said they would gladly trade a notch for Face ID and called that missing feature one of the most frustrating parts of the iPhone Duo.



Sure, this is a rather small thread, but it matches the Touch ID complaints we've seen since launch. It should be noted that Gurman only mentions the outer display in his newsletter, so the inner-screen question is still up in the air.

You may be waiting a while for Face ID on the Duo

Still, Apple knew Face ID mattered from the start, and since the prototypes already exist, this now becomes all about timing and not willingness to please the customers.

If a Duo without Face ID is a dealbreaker for you, I would wait for a confirmation next fall. On the other hand, if having to use Touch ID doesn't bother you, the current Duo should work just fine, and that feature works whether the device is open or closed. No need to wait.

I'd personally love to see Apple pushing through and bringing Face ID to the Duo 2.

More on the iPhone Duo 2:

• How Apple first tested Face ID on the Duo 2
• iPhone Duo 2 release date, price and upgrades
• Apple iPhone Duo 2

• Follow me on X and Threads

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