Halide's maker, Lux, has released an update that gives the camera app a separate layout for each of the iPhone Duo's three poses. Lux says the Duo support is available today to all Halide Mark III users, and that more Duo features are coming.
What each pose does
- Closed: the closest to the existing Halide design. The closed screen is squarer, so the toolbar moves into the sidebar style the Duo uses, and the main controls stay within thumb reach.
- Fully open: a second view on the wide screen shows your last photo. One tap favorites, shares, deletes or edits it, and there are controls for going full screen.
- Half open: the camera controls sit on the same side as the camera by default. Tap the arrows in the sidebar and the left and right sides swap, which turns the Duo into a waist-level viewfinder.
Lux pairs the half-open mode with Halide's square framing tool and says the result feels "a bit like shooting on a Hasselblad."
Why it matters
Lux chose a smaller viewfinder on the closed screen on purpose. Apple's own Camera app can fill the screen, but Lux says that puts controls over the shot. Halide keeps the preview clean and closer to how the photo will look when others view it, so you give up some preview size. Lux says it is still larger than the viewfinder on big standalone cameras.
For buyers of the $1,999 Duo, which reviewers say trails the iPhone 18 Pro on cameras, the update shows third-party apps can use the fold for composing and reviewing shots, not just for a bigger screen. Our pre-order checklist covers what else to set up on the Duo.
What we checked
Engadget's report matches Lux's post on the three poses, the movable controls and the Mark III availability. Lux's post does not give a version number or a price for the update, so neither is stated here.
