iPhone Duo's Hidden FaceTime Camera Takes 'Trash' Photos - MacRumors
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iPhone Duo's Hidden FaceTime Camera Takes 'Trash' Photos

The iPhone Duo's inner screen has an under-display front camera that's largely hidden from view. It's the first time we've seen an under-display camera on an iPhone, and it turns out there's a reason Apple hasn't used the technology before.

iphone duo facetime
Apple said the camera offers 1080p video recording, but didn't mention photo quality. Gizmodo said it's a 4-megapixel camera and described the photos as "low-res, washed out, and just not sharp at all." It's not good for selfies, and even video calls "look muddy."

Marques Brownlee said the camera is "very first gen" and that the photo quality is "trash." Samsung previously used under-display cameras but dropped them because of poor image quality. Brownlee speculates whether Apple will make the same decision in the future.

Reviewers say the camera is better at video than photos, and it does disappear into the background when you're using the phone, which is a plus.

The ‌iPhone Duo‌ has an alternative 12-megapixel front-facing camera on the outer display, which is much better for selfies, plus with the dual displays, you can use the rear cameras to take selfies. PetaPixel says that if you unfold the Duo and point it at yourself, there's an option to move the camera controls to the outer screen. With that setup, you can use the outer display as a viewfinder for the rear camera to take a selfie.

More ‌iPhone Duo‌ reviews can be found in our review roundup.

Related Roundup: iPhone Duo
Buyer's Guide: iPhone Duo (Buy Now)
Related Forum: iPhone

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Top Rated Comments

3 weeks ago
its a FaceTime camera, not a selfie one
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
3 weeks ago
I don’t know where the camera obsession comes from, but as a FaceTime camera this is perfectly fine. Just use the main cameras with outside display for better quality.

I would chose a hidden camera in 10/10 times over a better selfie cam.
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alia Avatar
3 weeks ago
Marques also said in his review that he thinks Apple made the right decision prioritizing the uninterrupted internal display. Just calling out the trash photos doesn't actually tell you what his conclusion was.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sniffies Avatar
3 weeks ago
It is better than the FaceTime camera on my iPhone 4 though.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
3 weeks ago
Dang, Might cancel mine and get the 18 Pro.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Spock Avatar
3 weeks ago
Honestly, the main camera can be used as a selfie camera and another, better camera on the front screen. This seems like a non issue to me.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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