iPhone Duo’s biggest surprise isn’t the fold, it’s the camera you can’t see

Apple is taking a feature Samsung abandoned and using it to give its first foldable a cleaner inner display.

By Rachit Agarwal Published September 9, 2026

iPhone Duo two apps side by side — Apple

Apple just announced the iPhone Duo alongside the iPhone 18 Pro at today’s event, and it’s officially Apple’s first foldable iPhone. The device is packed with features, but there’s one addition nobody saw coming: an in-display camera on the inner screen.

Yes, you read that right. Apple is hiding the selfie camera underneath the inner display, giving the iPhone Duo a flawless, edge-to-edge screen with no visible cutout or notch. The camera only becomes visible when it’s actually in use.

Samsung did it first, then gave up

To be fair, Apple isn’t inventing anything new here. Samsung beat Apple to the punch and introduced an under-display camera on its foldables years ago.

However, Samsung seems to have backed away from the idea. The company removed the under-display camera starting with last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 7, which gives the iPhone Duo a leg up over the competition, at least for now.

What it means for foldable fans

An in-display camera might sound like a small detail, but it’s exactly the kind of feature that makes a foldable feel premium. No notch, no punch hole, just a clean screen from edge to edge.

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If Apple manages to pull this off without the usual under-display camera compromises, it could set a new bar for what a foldable display should look like, and give Samsung something to think about.

Rachit is a seasoned tech journalist with over ten years of experience covering the consumer technology landscape.

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