Apple is actively developing a successor to its foldable iPhone Duo, testing early prototypes equipped with an Action button and under-display Face ID sensors.
According to reporting from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is experimenting with tucking facial recognition hardware beneath the outer cover screen to fit depth-sensing tech inside its thinnest unfurled chassis. The approach builds on miniaturized components, including the smaller infrared camera introduced on the iPhone 18 Pro, with plans to conceal both the flood illuminator and infrared camera beneath the glass. That same technology may also find its way into a planned 20th anniversary iPhone. If development targets are missed for a release next fall, Gurman noted that Face ID could slip to an iPhone Duo 3, which is also anticipated to gain a dedicated telephoto camera.
Internal teams are additionally pushing to equip the second-generation foldable with an Action button, a feature excluded from the inaugural model, though final inclusion remains unconfirmed.
The prototype leaks emerge just as the first-generation iPhone Duo arrives on the market at a starting price of $1,999. That device pairs a 5.4-inch outer display with a 7.6-inch folding interior panel, relying on a side-mounted fingerprint reader rather than facial scanning due to depth constraints. The initial rollout has faced significant supply bottlenecks, with preorder deliveries slipping to January 22 and retail staff reportedly instructed to alert walk-in shoppers about limited inventory.
Source: Notebookcheck
