iPhone Duo Price: Why Apple’s $2,000 Foldable May Use Touch ID Instead of Face ID

Hours before Apple’s September 9 keynote, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported new details about the company’s first foldable iPhone, including its expected name, price and biometric system.

“Apple’s first foldable iPhone is expected to be called the iPhone Duo,” Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported, describing a device expected to start at about $2,000 and use Touch ID in the side button rather than Face ID. The device is reportedly called the iPhone Duo, starts at around $2,000 for 256GB and may replace Face ID with Touch ID built into the side button.

That last detail is the most revealing. Face ID has been Apple’s standard biometric system on its mainline iPhones since the iPhone X in 2017. Putting a fingerprint sensor on a device expected to cost twice as much as a conventional flagship could look like a step backward, but the reported decision makes more sense when the physical constraints of a foldable are considered.

Apple has not confirmed the iPhone Duo’s name, price or biometric hardware. Bloomberg’s reporting and separate predictions from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo have both pointed to side-button Touch ID rather than Face ID, giving the claim more weight than a single supply-chain rumor.

Face ID Needs Space

“The TrueDepth camera captures accurate face data by projecting and analysing thousands of invisible dots to create a depth map of your face. It also captures an infrared image of your face,” Apple says in its Face ID documentation.

A conventional iPhone has room for that hardware arrangement. A book-style foldable has a different problem: Apple has to fit the display, hinge and other components into a device that remains thin enough to carry comfortably when closed.

Kuo has previously estimated that Apple’s foldable iPhone could measure about 4.5mm to 4.8mm thick when unfolded, according to his supply-chain reporting. At that thickness, every component competing for internal space becomes more consequential.

“The iPhone foldable will adopt side-button Touch ID instead of Face ID,” Ming-Chi Kuo reported, linking the design decision to the device’s internal space constraints and the goal of maintaining a thin form factor. Apple appears to be prioritizing the foldable’s thinness and display design over retaining the facial-recognition hardware used on its conventional iPhones.

Why Touch ID Makes Sense

“On iPad Air (4th generation and later) and iPad mini (6th generation),” Apple says, “the Touch ID sensor is in the top button.”

The reported iPhone Duo would use a similar approach, with the fingerprint sensor integrated into the side or power button rather than placed beneath the display. A hole-punch front camera would also replace the larger display-area hardware associated with Face ID.

That distinction matters. Apple would not need to develop an entirely new biometric system for the foldable. It could adapt technology already used elsewhere in its product lineup while freeing space around the display.

The result would be an iPhone that gives up one of Apple’s signature features in exchange for a design priority that matters more to a foldable: keeping the device thin.

What $2,000 Gets You

Bloomberg’s reporting puts the iPhone Duo at about $2,000 for 256GB, with a 2TB version potentially approaching $3,000. Other estimates have placed Apple’s foldable above $2,000, so the final price should not be treated as confirmed until Apple announces it.

The reported hardware package is substantial. The device is expected to have a roughly 5.5-inch external display that opens into a 7.8-inch internal screen, two rear cameras, Apple’s A20 Pro chip and C2 modem, and a magnetic hinge.

It could also support the Apple Pencil, according to the latest reporting. Bloomberg has further reported iPad-style side-by-side multitasking while the device continues to run iOS rather than iPadOS.

That helps explain the product’s positioning. Apple is not simply selling a phone with a larger screen. It is reportedly trying to make the unfolded display useful for work normally associated with a small tablet, while keeping the device compact enough to function as a phone when closed.

Apple’s Foldable Bet

The iPhone Duo is also arriving after years of competitors testing the category. Samsung and Google have already released multiple generations of foldable phones, while Apple has spent years developing its own version.

The Financial Times has reported that Apple’s work on the device stretches back roughly eight years. That long development cycle fits Apple’s usual approach to new hardware: enter a category after competitors have established it, then try to differentiate the product through its design and integration rather than simply being first.

At around $2,000, Apple would be asking buyers to pay a premium far beyond the company’s conventional flagship range for a phone that reportedly opens into something approaching an iPad mini in size.

The reported decision to drop Face ID is part of that larger calculation. Apple appears willing to sacrifice one of its most recognizable iPhone technologies if doing so helps deliver the thin, large-screen foldable it wants.

Whether buyers consider that a reasonable trade will depend on what the finished device actually feels like in the hand. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone Duo tonight, while availability is reportedly scheduled for as early as October.