# iPhone Duo 2 prototypes hide Face ID under the outer screen

Source: https://idevice.com/iphone-duo-2-prototypes-hide-face-id-under-the-outer-screen
Published: 2026-10-22

> The $1,999 Duo that goes on sale October 23 unlocks by fingerprint, and Apple hasn't settled whether its successor next fall gets Face ID.

Apple has iPhone Duo 2 prototypes with Face ID built in beneath the outer display, [Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said](https://www.macrumors.com/2026/10/22/iphone-duo-2-prototypes-under-display-face-id/) on his Power On podcast. The second Duo is expected next fall, and Apple hasn't decided yet whether the feature ships in it. The outer display is the 5.4-inch screen you look at with the phone closed, so that's where you'd glance to unlock it.

The first Duo goes on sale tomorrow, October 23, at $1,999. It has no Face ID at all. You unlock it with a fingerprint sensor in the side button, the same setup the iPad uses, and you can enroll more than one finger. The phone is so thin that there's little room left for the depth-sensing parts Face ID needs. Even the under-display camera behind the 7.6-inch inner screen doesn't do face unlocking.

An Apple Watch that you're wearing and have unlocked will unlock the Duo for you. Because the sensor sits on the frame, the same finger works whether you're using the 5.4-inch outer screen or the big one inside.

In September, Gurman expected smaller components and advances in AI to bring Face ID and a dedicated telephoto camera to the Duo by its third generation. Prototypes of the second model with Face ID already inside would move that up by a year.

He also said Apple is considering an Action button for a future Duo. The current model doesn't have one.

The phone shipping tomorrow is already hard to get. Pre-orders opened on October 16, U.S. shipping estimates slipped to January within half an hour, and Apple Stores don't expect walk-in stock on launch day. In Japan and South Korea, Apple will only hand the Duo to buyers who've booked a pickup time. It has since asked suppliers to plan for about 14 million Duos over the next 12 months, up from 9.7 million. Earlier reports described trouble with assembly, the displays and the hinges. Gurman expects supply to stay limited after launch, and he called Apple's choice to open pre-orders before it had more phones ready a "major mistake."

If you don't have an order yet, buying now means a January delivery and a phone you unlock with your fingerprint or your watch. Waiting for Face ID on a foldable iPhone means next fall at the earliest. If you've already ordered, the side button and your watch are how you'll get in.

## Sources

- [MacRumors](https://www.macrumors.com/2026/10/22/iphone-duo-2-prototypes-under-display-face-id/) (MacRumors)