iPhone Duo 2 Face ID Upgrade Faces Tight Design Deadline [Report]

Face ID could miss the iPhone Duo 2 as Apple runs short on time to finalize the hardware for its next foldable, according to Mark Gurman. Facial recognition remains the company's top priority for the device, but its inclusion is still undecided.

The second-generation model, codenamed V78, is planned for fall 2027. To meet that schedule, Apple needs to lock in its hardware features around now, while engineers are still working to integrate Face ID into the outer display.

Apple has already tested Duo prototypes with Face ID.

With the successor being finalized just as the original model reaches buyers, Apple is unlikely to turn their survey responses into hardware changes before Duo 3. The second model will follow priorities established before the first Duo was announced.

Adding an Action button remains another goal for Duo 2. Apple also wants to add a telephoto camera and make the foldable thinner and lighter over the next couple of generations, without a firm timetable for those changes.

The current Duo uses Touch ID in its side button, allowing fingerprint authentication whether the phone is open or closed. It also lacks an Action button and dedicated telephoto camera, among the hardware tradeoffs compared with iPhone 18 Pro Max.