IPhone Duo’s Under-Screen Camera: Invisible, but at What Cost?

I love the idea of a phone or tablet with no camera cutout or bezel at all, where everything would be screen… and a camera hidden under the screen would handle the magic for you.

That’s exactly what Apple did with the inner camera on its new iPhone Duo, coming later in October. It’s a phone full of new tech specs to catch up on, but that new bonus camera (to go with the front-facing camera and dual rear cameras the Duo also has) fascinates me. And, based on the reported specs, concerns me.

Masked under layers of OLED pixels, the new camera has a much smaller spec list than the other three on the Duo. No megapixel count is listed. Apple promises 1080p video recording and FaceTime compatibility. It has Center Stage for auto-centering video calls, a feature I’ve found essential on iPads. It also has an f/1.8 aperture.

What it seems to lack are higher-res 4K recording features, an extra cinematic mode, slow-mo or time-lapse features, LED flash or portrait modes. It’s a more bare-bones camera, likely intended for use mainly for FaceTime and video chats.

Sure, if I were taking selfies on the Duo, I’d use the higher-end front-facing one (or the dual rear cameras flipped around to selfie orientation, something folding phones can do). Would that hidden camera step in well enough to be the FaceTime/Zoom/chat camera I need? If so, would that make it a great candidate for an under-the-screen camera on future MacBooks or iPads? Or…even an Apple Watch?

The compromise at play seems like a lot now, but it’s something the Duo can afford, since it has other cameras on other surfaces that can be invoked if needed. I’m glad Apple avoided camera notches or cut-outs on the inside, although I wonder how invisible the camera truly is when gaming or watching movies (or anything else).

It seems like an interesting experiment by Apple to slide its camera tech into smaller places. I want to try it. But I wonder if it’s ever going to replace cameras that are visible…and probably better.

Scott Stein

Editor at Large

I started with CNET reviewing laptops in 2009. Now I explore wearable tech, VR/AR, tablets, gaming and future/emerging trends in our changing world. Other obsessions include magic, immersive theater, puzzles, board games, cooking, improv and the New York Jets. My background includes an MFA in theater which I apply to thinking about immersive experiences of the future.

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