iPhone Duo confirms Touch ID in the side button — first new iPhone since SE (2022)
Apple’s foldable iPhone Duo skips Face ID and puts Touch ID in the side button for open or closed unlock—the first new iPhone with Touch ID since the 2022 SE, with Apple Watch unlock as a backup.
Apple’s first foldable, iPhone Duo, does not include Face ID. Biometrics land in a Touch ID sensor built into the side button, usable whether the device is open or closed—confirming what iOS 27 code had suggested ahead of Surprise and Shine.
What’s confirmed
- Side-button Touch ID authenticates open or closed (Apple’s first iPhone Touch ID that isn’t a Home button).
- You can enroll multiple fingers.
- Apple Watch unlock remains available as a hands-free option if you wear a paired Watch—same class of feature Macs have used for years.
- This is the first new iPhone with Touch ID since the third-generation iPhone SE (March 2022). Apple has used similar button Touch ID on iPad Air / mini for years.
Why foldables land here
A book-style foldable complicates a persistent TrueDepth module on both outer and inner faces. Apple’s choice mirrors Android foldable norms more than Face ID on slab iPhones—and MacRumors notes it’s likely a Duo-specific tradeoff rather than a Face ID replacement for Pro models.
Timing
Pre-orders open Friday, October 16 at 5 a.m. Pacific; availability Friday, October 23. Duo starts at $1,999 (256GB).
Sources: MacRumors — Touch ID returns; MacRumors — Watch unlock; Apple iPhone Duo materials.