iPhone Duo 2: Apple Tests Face ID to Fix Its Biggest Flaw

The iPhone Duo is in the final stretch of its countdown before reaching the hands of the first buyers, but Apple is already working on the second-generation model. And the next version of the foldable smartphone would resolve the original version’s greatest shortcoming: the absence of Face ID.

According to Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, the Cupertino-based company has prototypes of the iPhone Duo 2 equipped with facial authentication technology at its disposal. The journalist indicates that Apple is testing Face ID on the foldable, aiming to offer it starting in the fall of 2027 in the device’s next iteration.

However, the implementation of Face ID in the iPhone Duo 2 is not yet a certainty. Gurman maintains that the company has not made a final decision regarding its inclusion in the future version of the smartphone.

The first prototypes of the second-generation iPhone Duo could offer Face ID through the exterior screen. It remains unclear whether its incorporation would force a change in the location of the front-facing camera, which in the current version of the foldable is situated in the top right corner of the panel.

El iPhone Duo 2 podría llegar con Face ID

Apple omitted Face ID from the iPhone Duo to save internal space—vital for rearranging other components within the new form factor—as well as weight. Of course, its first foldable is neither the thinnest nor the lightest available on the market. As a result, doubts have already emerged regarding whether that decision was truly worthwhile.

Early reviews of the iPhone Duo focused their negative criticism primarily on the lack of third-party apps optimized for the foldable, as well as on the performance of the fingerprint reader. The return of Touch ID is among the device’s least celebrated features, both for its lack of practicality and its poor ability to recognize registered fingerprints on the first attempt.

But Face ID might not be the only addition to the iPhone Duo 2. Gurman also mentions that Apple is evaluating equipping its next foldable with an Action Button similar to those found on other iPhones. For now, there is no choice but to wait nearly a year to see if this is confirmed.

The first-generation iPhone Duo will reach the hands of initial buyers starting tomorrow, October 23. Due to the actions of scalpers, many pre-orders have been delayed until November and December, and in some cases until January 2027. Apple has begun expediting the availability process, moving up dates for certain buyers, although the initial stock is not expected to be massive. With the update to iOS 27.2 launching next week, the foldable will add compatibility with the Apple Pencil USB-C.