The iPhone Duo reviews are out, and Apple’s foldable phone has earned plenty of praise for its polished hardware.
However, experts have also criticized the loss of Face ID, since Apple switched to a Touch ID fingerprint sensor embedded in the side button. But Apple appears to be working on fixing the problem for the next-gen iPhone Duo.
Why did Apple replace Face ID on the iPhone Duo?
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is testing iPhone Duo 2 units with an under-display Face ID module. Of course, it’s not certain Apple will make the switch, but there’s a strong chance it will, given rumors of an all-screen makeover for the 20th-anniversary iPhone, which is also expected to get an under-display Face ID module next year.
“Here’s what I have heard. Apple is already looking at a few different features for the iPhone Duo 2 and the iPhone Duo 3. One thing that Apple has been actively working on is under-display Face ID,” Gurman said on the latest edition of Bloomberg’s PowerOn podcast.
“I’m told there are iPhone Duo 2 prototypes at Apple already that have an under-display Face ID sensor and camera on the outside screen. So that is something we could see. So I would anticipate this Touch ID to Face ID thing is fixed by the first update or the second update in the next two to three years or so,” he added.
Could the iPhone Duo 2 bring back Face ID with an under-display sensor?
A side-mounted fingerprint sensor is not really an issue on foldable phones. Almost every foldable phone has adopted the same formula: embedding a fingerprint sensor in the side-mounted power button. Even Apple has adopted the same strategy for its iPads, except for the Pro models.
The disparity is for the iPhones. Since Apple ditched the Touch ID home button with the iPhone X almost a decade ago, all iPhones have shifted to Face ID. As a result, adopting fingerprint verification instead of a quick face scan seems to be a tough habit adjustment for early iPhone Duo adopters.
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