Apple‘s new $1,999 iPhone Duo has two rear cameras, but seemingly can’t capture spatial photos or spatial video for viewing on Apple Vision Pro.
Apple first introduced spatial video capture on iPhone 15 Pro in 2023, ahead of the launch of Vision Pro. The feature records simultaneously from the Main and Ultra Wide cameras, with Apple combining the two views into a single spatial video file. Apple added native spatial photo capture to the iPhone lineup the following year with the iPhone 16 lineup, including both base and Pro models.
Apple’s technical specifications for iPhone Duo list a 48MP Fusion Main camera and a 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide camera. Spatial photos and spatial video recording are both absent from the list of supported camera features.
That’s different from iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max, which explicitly list spatial photos and spatial video recording at 1080p 30fps.
The omission doesn’t appear to be down to processing power. iPhone Duo uses the same A20 Pro chip as the iPhone 18 Pro models, including Apple’s Dual 16-core Neural Engine. Apple also says the iPhone Duo’s 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide camera is the same one used in the iPhone 18 Pro models.
Apple hasn’t explained why spatial capture isn’t listed for iPhone Duo, and we haven’t been able to test the device ourselves yet. Apple’s existing iPhone implementation uses the Main and Ultra Wide cameras together to capture separate views of a scene.
Software-based 2D-to-3D conversion has also improved since Apple first introduced spatial video capture.
Apple Vision Pro can use machine learning to turn ordinary 2D photos, including photos captured on an iPhone, into spatial photos after they’ve been taken. That means photos taken on iPhone Duo can still be converted into spatial photos on Vision Pro, even without native spatial capture.
Meta has also expanded 2D-to-3D conversion on Quest. Earlier this year, Quest 3 gained the ability to turn ordinary images in the web browser into stereoscopic 3D. Meta’s Instagram app on Quest goes further, using AI view synthesis to convert both regular photos and videos into 3D when viewed in the headset.
Meta’s conversion also works with videos originally shot as ordinary 2D footage on a phone. Apple does not currently offer the same built-in conversion for ordinary 2D video on Vision Pro.
AI conversion uses a different process from native spatial capture. Spatial video recorded on an iPhone uses two cameras to capture separate views of the scene, while AI conversion estimates depth and creates the second view in software.
In practice, the difference isn’t always obvious. When UploadVR tested Meta’s 3D conversion for Instagram videos last year, David Heaney found that it looked very similar to spatial video recorded on an iPhone, with only occasional artifacts.
Software conversion gives iPhone Duo owners another way to view regular photos as spatial photos on Vision Pro, while Quest can also add 3D depth to regular video.
It’s still a curious omission from Apple’s most expensive new iPhone. Apple continues to support spatial photo and video capture on the iPhone 18 Pro models, while its new $1,999 foldable seemingly leaves both behind.
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