Apple's anticipated phone, the iPhone Duo, has seen a split in the opinions of tech reviewers regarding the FaceTime camera integrated under the internal screen, which marks the first time Apple has used this technology in its smartphones.
While Apple officially focused on the camera's support for 1080p video recording without providing precise details about still image quality, tests by the Gizmodo platform indicated that the camera has a 4-megapixel resolution. It described the resulting images as low-resolution, dull, and completely lacking sharpness, in addition to video calls appearing blurry. Content creator Marques Brownlee described the image quality as extremely poor, noting that it reflects first-generation technology and recalling Samsung's previous experience, which abandoned under-display cameras for the same reasons related to poor image quality.
Screen Advantages and Selfie Alternatives
Despite the criticism directed at the quality of still images, reviewers acknowledged clear operational advantages; the camera fades completely into the screen's background during normal use and shows acceptable performance in video recording compared to still photography.
To compensate for this shortcoming, the iPhone Duo features an alternative 12-megapixel front camera mounted on the external screen. Additionally, the dual-screen design allows the use of the primary rear cameras for taking selfies; PetaPixel noted that when the device is unfolded and pointed toward the user, an option appears to move the camera controls to the external screen to be used as a preview display while shooting with the main camera.
Why Does This News Matter?
This development represents a pivotal milestone in Apple's adoption of under-display camera technology, highlighting the ongoing engineering challenges in balancing an unobstructed screen design with photographic quality, and raising questions about how long Apple will continue to use this technical solution in future generations.