Apple works on Face ID beneath iPhone Duo 2 outer display

Apple engineers are working to place Face ID beneath the outer screen of iPhone Duo 2 prototypes, and whether the feature ships remains undecided ahead of the foldable’s expected fall 2027 launch. The foldable is known internally as V78. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said tight timelines threaten the schedule and called Face ID inclusion a toss-up, leaving the central uncertainty that the feature is being built but may miss the launch window.

“Apple has already developed prototypes of the iPhone Duo 2 with Face ID,” Gurman said. He added that engineers are still actively working to integrate the facial-recognition system into the outer display, a task made harder by the thin iPhone Duo body that leaves little room for added depth-sensing components.

The company moved part of its facial-recognition hardware under the screen on the iPhone 18 Pro, making the Dynamic Island smaller. That prior miniaturization makes under-display Face ID plausible for the foldable design. The Face ID assembly would use a VCSEL, the laser component used for face scanning, for biometrics on the outer display.

The first iPhone Duo unlocks with a Touch ID sensor in its side button and does not offer Face ID. That sensor functions when folded or unfolded and is not tied to the screen facing the user. It provides one authentication method for both the compact outer screen and the larger inner display. Face ID would supplement or replace that current method.

Apple normally follows a long development cycle and locks hardware features well before a product ships. Apple must lock in iPhone Duo 2 hardware features around now to meet that schedule. The engineering deadline is driving the inclusion decision.

AppleInsider said V78 hardware is approaching final design before prototype assembly and test production begin. Adding Face ID to the foldable is Apple’s top biometric priority for the second-generation model. It holds relative importance within the Duo 2 hardware plan.

Gurman has said Apple’s two priorities for the iPhone Duo are Face ID and an Action Button. That button is the second reported priority for Duo 2. The loudest complaints about the iPhone Duo have concerned the lack of Face ID. Digital Trends said the absence of face unlock ranks among the top complaints about the first foldable iPhone.

Since the iPhone X launched, users have grown used to Face ID unlocking a device in less than a second. Digital Trends uses this as the benchmark Apple is trying to match on the iPhone Duo 2. Whether Face ID ships on the iPhone Duo 2 remains undecided.

Bloomberg’s reporting does not establish whether Apple will keep Touch ID, replace it with Face ID, or offer both on the foldable. Possible authentication outcomes remain open. Gurman said Face ID would likely arrive on the iPhone Duo 3 in 2028 if it misses the iPhone Duo 2.

He has also suggested Face ID could arrive in the first or second update to the iPhone Duo lineup. Apple has not settled how facial authentication would function when the foldable opens. The company has not said whether face unlock limited to the outer screen would meet its goals for a device that also functions as a small tablet.

Keeping both Touch ID and Face ID could add flexibility but would also increase hardware complexity. If Apple keeps Touch ID, owners can authenticate with the device open without aiming a screen toward their face. A Face ID-only foldable might feel more familiar to owners of standard iPhones, but only if authentication works reliably in both configurations.

According to The Apple Post, adding Face ID would primarily alter the ease and consistency of unlocking and approving secure actions on the foldable. Apple is exploring a larger display for a future iPhone Duo. Apple plans a telephoto camera and a thinner, lighter chassis for future Duo models without a firm timetable.

The current iPhone Duo lacks an Action button and a dedicated telephoto camera compared with the iPhone 18 Pro Max. These are existing hardware gaps relative to the flagship iPhone.

An Action button that might combine with the Camera Control button is under consideration for the iPhone Duo 2. Apple may implement the Action Button as a software feature within Camera Control, letting users change the hold action from launching Siri in Camera to opening a chosen app. An unverified image claiming to show a three-rear-camera iPhone Duo successor has circulated, but its authenticity is unconfirmed.

Apple is unlikely to turn first-Duo customer feedback into hardware changes before the iPhone Duo 3. Early adopter feedback is not expected to shape Duo 2. Iclarified reports that Duo 2 will stick to priorities set before the original Duo was announced. The Apple Post first reported iPhone Duo 2 Face ID testing in October.