Hidden beneath the 7.6-inch inner screen of the foldable
iPhone Duo is an under-display FaceTime camera. The long-rumored feature is a first for Apple, yet the company hasn't provided as much detail about it as the device's other cameras.
For example, unlike the 12-megapixel sensor on the outer front display and the two 48-megapixel lenses on the back, Apple has not revealed the megapixel count of the under-screen camera. Apple's
tech specs page for the iPhone Duo offers the following details about its capabilities:
- Under-display FaceTime camera
- Center Stage for video calls
- Ζ/1.8 aperture
- Tap to zoom and rotate
- Ultraβstabilized video
- 1080p video recording at 30 or 60 fps
- Animoji and Memoji in FaceTime
- Wide color capture for photos and Live Photos
- Lens correction
- Auto image stabilization
- QuickTake video at 1080p at 30 fps and 60 fps
- Spatial Audio and stereo recording
- Wind noise reduction
- Audio Mix
Apple says the under-display camera records video at up to 1080p at 60 frames per second, compared to 4K at up to 60 fps for the outer front camera and 4K at up to 120 fps for the Main rear camera. This means the sensor is at least 2 megapixels β the minimum necessary to shoot 1080p video. However, its apparent inability to shoot 4K video may suggest it is less than 8 megapixels. Given that Apple has kept quiet, perhaps it's closer to 2 megapixels.
The under-screen camera's f/1.8 aperture is faster than the outer camera's f/2.2 aperture, which makes sense since it is probably helping to compensate for light lost through the display. Of course, Apple has not detailed the resulting trade-offs in image quality. How it affects photos and video is only likely to become clear once we get more time with the device.
According to a
December 2023 report, LG Innotek was developing an under-display camera for Apple using a "freeform optic" lens array designed to reduce distortion and compensate for brightness loss. Again though, we don't know if this is the camera that made it into the iPhone Duo.
Another thing to note is that the display layer over the camera appears to lack the anti-reflective nano-texture coating found on the rest of the screen, resulting in a glossy dot. The screen also likely covers the lens with a lower density patch of pixels.
Regardless, the difference means the camera's location is less discreet than one might expect depending on the angle of ambient light. Apple even subtly acknowledges this in its marketing materials with a circular shadow on the screen, but going on the video below and the variable reflectivity, the effect can be more pronounced than the company is letting on.
Samsung has grappled with the same issue. The Korean company previously used under-display cameras in models including the Galaxy Z Fold6, before switching to a conventional 10-megapixel punch-hole camera with the Galaxy Z Fold7. This is Apple's first attempt at under-screen camera technology, so future iterations of the Duo may be better at hiding what can appear like a small smudge or blemish in the display β depending how you look at it.
Apple says preorders for the iPhone Duo will go live at 5:00 a.m. Pacific Time on Friday, October 16, with availability beginning Friday, October 23.
This article, "
Apple Isn't Revealing the iPhone Duo's Under-Screen Camera Resolution" first appeared on
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