Apple has declined to disclose the megapixel count of the under-display FaceTime camera on the newly announced iPhone Duo, leaving a conspicuous gap in the spec sheet for the company’s first foldable phone.
For the camera hidden beneath the 7.6-inch inner display, Apple lists an f/1.8 aperture, Center Stage support, and video recording at up to 1080p and 60 frames per second. The sensor resolution is nowhere to be found.
That’s unusual for an iPhone camera, and the 1080p ceiling suggests where it sits in the Duo’s camera hierarchy. The outer front camera records 4K video at up to 60 fps, while the rear main camera reaches 4K at 120 fps.
The wider f/1.8 aperture also reflects one of the challenges of hiding a camera beneath a working display. Light has to pass through the screen before reaching the sensor, so allowing more light through the lens can help offset some of that loss.
Hiding the Camera Comes With a Trade-Off
The section of the display covering the camera appears to lack the anti-reflective nano-texture finish applied across the rest of the inner screen. That leaves a small glossy patch that can become visible when light hits it at certain angles.
Apple’s own product renders show a subtle circular shadow in the area, while early hands-on footage suggests the difference can be more noticeable under direct light.
Samsung wrestled with the same problem for several generations. The company used under-display cameras through the Galaxy Z Fold6 before dropping the technology on the Fold7 in favor of a conventional 10-megapixel punch-hole camera.
Apple is taking the opposite approach with its first foldable, accepting some visible and photographic compromises to keep the Duo’s large inner display free of a conventional camera cutout.
1080p May Be Enough for Its Main Job
Apple appears to have designed the inner camera primarily for video calls. With the Duo unfolded, the 7.6-inch display is naturally suited to FaceTime, where 1080p is adequate for most calls. The outer front camera can still capture higher-quality selfies and video.
That makes Apple’s decision easier to understand, even if the missing megapixel figure stands out on a $1,999 device.
What remains unknown is how much image quality was sacrificed to put the camera beneath the screen.
Apple’s specifications can’t answer that, and the difference should become clearer once reviewers can compare the hidden camera directly with the Duo’s conventional outer camera.
iPhone Duo preorders open at 5 a.m. Pacific Time on October 16, with availability beginning October 23.
