Apple’s foldable iPhone Duo debuted with Touch ID and a dual rear camera setup instead of Face ID and a telephoto lens, likely due to space limitations inside such a thin device. As per Mark Gurman’s latest Power On newsletter, Apple might consider adding both features for a future third-generation model.
Gurman believes Apple will lean on two things to make this possible: shrinking components further and using AI to compensate for smaller hardware. He explains that smaller, simpler depth-sensing and camera components could still deliver strong results if Apple offsets some of that hardware limitation through computational processing instead. That approach would let Apple fit Face ID’s sensor array and an additional telephoto camera into a body that still needs to fold without adding meaningful bulk.
Right now, the current iPhone Duo relies on Touch ID for authentication and sticks to two rear cameras, likely because Face ID’s sensor stack and a third camera lens would have added too much thickness to the device’s already tight internal design. Gurman’s prediction suggests Apple sees that as a temporary limitation tied to this generation specifically, not a permanent design choice.
The iPhone Duo officially launches October 23, giving early buyers a first look at how Apple approached these trade-offs, while later models may fill in the gaps once components shrink even further.
