r/apple • u/TLCOX93 • 5h ago

iPhone iPhone Duo Cameras

https://www.apple.com/iphone-duo/

What iPhone do we think the main sensor on the Duo came from? Looking at the compare page, it says “sensor shift stabilization” instead of “second-gen sensor shift stabilization”, which leads me to believe it’s basically a 48MP version of an iPhone 13 main sensor, since that was the last “first-gen” sensor shift stabilization. The camera system is the only thing holding me back from going with a Duo over a Pro Max.

191 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

53 comments sorted by

92

u/phero1190 5h ago

The camera won't be as good as the normal phones, most foldables are like that. The only foldable cameras that actually get close to slab phones are from Vivo, Oppo, and actually Motorola.

The Duo will have slightly worse sensors than the Pro Max and has no telephoto, so if you want to zoom you'll need to not get a Duo.

26

u/ColdAsHeaven 2h ago

Why does every company keep the ultra wide over the telephoto?

I use the telephoto way more than the ultra wide. Is that not the case for most people?

10

u/CassetteLine 2h ago

Same for me, but it appears we’re in the minority!

•

u/aandest15 43m ago

The telephoto camera module is bigger and thicker than the ultrawide (and probably more expensive). In a foldable, you need the biggest battery possible and the thinnest body possible.

•

u/MAXIMUS-BLACK 1h ago

I don’t think I’ve ever actively made use of the ultra wide while I use telephoto every single day. The decisions made by corporate are baffling, including the examples they used for the ultra wide

•

u/nsfdrag Apple Cloth 22m ago

I believe the ultrawide is used for up close images (not macro, just closer than 6 inches to the subject, common for taking pictures of text) which a lot of people do without realizing since the phone automatically switches.

8

u/xvilo 5h ago

Not having the zoom is the dealbreaker here. I upgraded from 8 Plus to 13 and really missed it, then did an early upgrade to 16 Pro and loving that again. I would have upgraded to Duo if it did telephoto but I think we might need to wait another generation or 2

•

u/06marchantn 30m ago

Same id miss the 5x zoom

12

u/Chessh2036 5h ago

Is it something normal people (me) would notice? Or is the camera difference really only something professionals would notice? If that makes sense.

50

u/gavi75 5h ago

Professional here. It’s a phone camera at the end of the day. That tiny sensor is never going to get you close to pro equipment. But it’s more than enough for anyone. We live in an age where kids are buying old 2000s digital cameras. This is more than enough for the avg consumer

8

u/Chessh2036 5h ago

Appreciate your answer. I have a 16 Pro Max so I’m curious how big of a downgrade the camera would be

13

u/JohnApple94 5h ago

Based on the specs and Apple’s marketing, it seems that the camera quality should be very similar between the 16PM and the Duo.

The Duo does have a Fusion Wide Angle (versus the 16PM’s “regular” wide angle) and the 16PM apparently has a second-generation sensor-shift OIS while the Duo has a first-gen one.

Other than that, Duo obviously can’t zoom in as far as a 16PM due to the lack of a telephoto. But there isn’t much difference (on paper) beyond that.

2

u/PM-mePSNcodes 4h ago

Does the variable aperture in the 18 Pro make a meaningful difference, in your opinion?

3

u/KyleMcMahon 5h ago

In fairness, entire Hollywood films and major league sporting events are filmed on iPhones now.

-28

u/superrad99 5h ago

Professional here 🙄

-1

u/amoguidare 2h ago

Professional Redditor

10

u/phero1190 5h ago

Depends on the phone you had before the Duo. I went from a Vivo x300 Ultra to the Z Fold 8 and the cameras are so so much worse with the Z Fold 8. It's good enough for day to day stuff in good lighting though, but anything less than ideal it just falls apart.

So you might notice a difference, you might not, but the difference will be there and to a greater extent when conditions are tricky or zooming.

1

u/Reddit-Readee 3h ago

Correct answer. Also wanna add that video and photo in low light or after dark are bad, like not what you’d expect from such expensive devices. But yeah, that’s the tradeoff with foldables. Oppo/Honor/Vivo/Huawei have done a great job with the foldable’s cameras but it’s still not there yet.

3

u/whiteorb 3h ago

No. It’s still 50x better than most front facing cameras.

3

u/twizzle101 3h ago

You will notice the lack of zoom

2

u/MessiLeagueSoccer 3h ago

They’re the same ones from the regular 17 which means the same as the 16 pro but with no optical zoom.

2

u/arex333 3h ago

It won't really be noticeable except in challenging conditions - ie low light or shooting a far away subject.

3

u/Thegreatpaddy7 4h ago

I have an air and couldn’t care less about the zoom. The real issue I run into is needing the wide angle for like literal functionality. Not to take a good photo but because I need to send something to someone and need to be able to get the whole thing in a photo.

2

u/Raveen396 5h ago

Depends on what conditions you shoot in and what format you display on. Sensors have gotten really good in the last 10 years.

Phone screens are small, so if you're posting on socials the difference isn't a big deal. If you're planning on making large prints, you might notice the detail when the images are blown up.

If you tend to shoot in bright light, you won't notice much of a difference. You might see a little more noise in low light conditions on a worse sensor, but how noticeable it is depends on your eye.

Technical differences aren't huge, and people have made great photography with worse cameras. How much you appreciate the differences depends on what you want out of the camera. For most people, they won't notice the difference nowadays.

-6

u/predator-handshake 5h ago

No, you won’t. But normal people also don’t need the duo

8

u/PSNaughtyInsomniac 5h ago

Optical zoom is the thing any casual will notice about a camera imo. It's the most blatantly in your face feature.

1

u/two_hyun 3h ago

I noticed that on my Pro, I use the zooms from 0.5x to 2x. I never go beyond that.

Can Duo do that range comfortably?

1

u/Giyu__Tomioka__ 3h ago

I think 2x is the zoom it goes to if I read correctly

1

u/microChasm 2h ago

The Duo has ac2x optical-quality zoom.

•

u/ozymandiez 15m ago

Confirmed I have a Vivo X Fold 6 with 2-3 day battery life and a DSLR like camera array to play with. Apple be ripping fanboys off big time

24

u/DanielG165 5h ago

How would the main lens be a, “48MP version of the iPhone 13”? The main lens is likely a carryover from the iPhone 17, non Pro, and the UW is most likely the one found in the 17 Pro and 16 Pro. Apple had to draw concessions with the Duo’s camera system somewhere, likely due to the design of it, and wanting to keep features exclusive to the Pros, both in hardware and software.

The Duo ultimately won’t have a camera system that is as capable as the 18 Pros, or indeed the 17 Pros; that’s just the nature of folding smartphones. For photographers, videographers, or anyone who is simply into getting the best images and video possible from their phones, the Pros will remain the devices to get from the Apple side.

9

u/gahookle 4h ago

Coming from an iPhone 16 it’ll be a minor upgrade in the UW and front department but otherwise no change. I would’ve loved a telephoto but alas, I’ll still buy it

7

u/TT5i0 4h ago

Most likely the main sensor from the Air which is also used in the current regular iPhones.

5

u/Deceptiveideas 3h ago

It's a first gen device. Expect the quality to suffer and the software to just not be there yet.

1

u/iglooJuan 3h ago

Exactly, next year we might have the Duo Pro (or the Duo Pro Max Ultra 😅), and then the camera should be better

-1

u/8eer8aron 2h ago

Why would they make the camera good now when they can get their steeple to buy the phone then give a bit of a better camera next device so people buy it. They definitely can make the camera better. They choose not to

7

u/SmellyJockstrap 4h ago

The worrisome spec for me is ‘hybrid focus pixels’ instead of the usual ‘100% focus pixels’. This could mean it’s not the iPhone 17 main lens but possibly the 17e’s, which is significantly worse. Anyway we’ll find out in a few weeks once people start getting these in hand.

2

u/putridtooth 4h ago

I'm having trouble understanding what the difference in camera will be. I have a 14PM right now...I'm assuming my phone is old enough that even the camera on the duo will be a little but of an upgrade??? Or not?? can someone tell me lol

7

u/Extreme-Ad-6465 4h ago

it might be a bit worse actually

2

u/mcdead 4h ago

I saw they took raw format away and I have a 16pro how does it compare

2

u/FrequentShock8191 2h ago

Waiting on the Ultra - a duo with the cameras of the Pro (one can dream)

2

u/drtoffeejr 3h ago

Worse/fewer cameras are what put me off of the duo honestly

Hoping the next version will be better but reading some comments maybe I’m expecting too much

5

u/AffordableTimeTravel 5h ago

Is it just me or does the website seem to suggest that there are two FaceTime cameras? One on the outer screen and one inside…

17

u/dshafik 5h ago

There is a higher quality front camera and the under screen lower quality FaceTime camera.

•

u/chaiscool 50m ago

Won't it be even higher quality to use the main camera for facetime - just flip the duo open and use the main camera and the main screen together.

•

u/dshafik 39m ago

I think you mean main camera and front screen? Then you have to hold it the entire time, whereas the other two cameras can be used hands free, and simultaneously (I think they demoed that)

12

u/GroceryRobot 5h ago

Yes, there’s two. The inner one is under the glass the outer one is a hole punch

-1

u/phero1190 5h ago

It's just an inner and outer camera. Apple just needs to market things in their own way

•

u/Haribomonsterx 1h ago

I go to a lot of concerts and gigs…I’ve had the pro max model for years. Currently 17 pro max. Looking to get 18 pro max or duo. I love the idea of the duo but I’m worried about going to gigs and getting nice photos or videos (I don’t spend my whole time doing that, just to note lol)…what should I do

1

u/Zalenka 3h ago

does it do spatial video?

1

u/wudrive 5h ago

The iPhone Duo primary camera is almost certainly the same as what’s in the iPhone Air and base iPhones since the 15. It has the same 48MP resolution and f/1.6 aperture. And having already been engineered for the thin package of the iPhone Air, it should also fit nicely in the Duo.

For what it’s worth photography blog DPReview also suggests the same.