Gurman: iPhone Duo 2 Prototypes Test Under-Display Face ID, and Apple Is Weighing an Action Button
On Power On (Oct 22), Mark Gurman said Apple's iPhone Duo 2 prototypes put Face ID under the outer screen. An Action button is being explored, a later Duo may get an inner screen about half an inch bigger, and telephoto is 'on their list.' None of it is confirmed.
The iPhone Duo goes on sale today, and Apple's second foldable is already in testing. On his Power On podcast (Oct 22), Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said there are iPhone Duo 2 prototypes inside Apple, and they put Face ID under the outer display. MacRumors, 9to5Mac, AppleInsider and iClarified all picked up the report the same day.
I'm Alex Rivera, and I cover the rumor desk from San Francisco. Here's what's new and what isn't.
What Gurman said
- Face ID on Duo 2 prototypes. The sensor and camera sit beneath the 5.4-inch outer screen. The first Duo uses Touch ID in the side button instead, because the thin body left no room for the depth-sensing parts. Gurman says the feature isn't locked: it could ship on Duo 2 next fall, or slip to the generation after.
- An Action button is being explored. Apple has tested one internally, but where it would go isn't clear and it may not make the final design. Today's Duo has no Action button and no mute switch.
- A slightly bigger inner screen, later. Gurman's rough figure is about half an inch more, so "high sevens, very low eights" instead of today's 7.6 inches. He calls it a gradual size-up of the same phone, not a second larger model, and 9to5Mac ties it to the third-generation Duo.
- Telephoto is "on their list." He has no date for it and says the hold-up is physics, not cost, because a zoom lens needs depth the fold doesn't have.
Why it's a fresh beat
In September, Gurman only predicted that Face ID and a telephoto camera could arrive by the third generation. Working Duo 2 prototypes with under-display Face ID is a more concrete step, and the Action button and screen-size numbers are new. Early reviews named the missing Face ID and missing zoom lens as the Duo's biggest trade-offs, so these are the right things for Apple to fix.
What I'd do today
If Touch ID and the lack of a telephoto lens are deal-breakers for you, waiting a year for the Duo 2 is reasonable, especially with US online orders already showing Jan 25 ship dates. Until then, a thin unlocked iPhone or a renewed Pro covers you, and a flat foldable MagSafe charger is a safe pick whichever phone you end up with.
This is a rumor based on Gurman's podcast comments. Apple hasn't announced any of it, and prototype features don't always ship.
Sources: MacRumors, 9to5Mac on Face ID, 9to5Mac on the larger screen, iClarified, AppleInsider.
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