Apple acknowledges cracked screens on foldable iPhone Duo

Apple said Monday it is aware of a problem affecting the inner display on some units of the iPhone Duo, its first foldable phone. The statement came after early buyers reported cracked screens and bright lines spreading out from the hinge within hours of unboxing. The company told owners to contact AppleCare for a replacement. This is the first known durability problem for a device that starts at $1,999 and went on sale Friday, October 23, according to CNBC.cnbc.com

"We are aware of an issue impacting the inner display on a small number of iPhone Duo units," an Apple representative told CNBC. "If users experience issues with their iPhone Duo display, they should contact AppleCare for a replacement." Apple also told 9to5Mac that most units are not affected and that the problem tends to show up soon after purchase. Owners do not need AppleCare+ to get a replacement, and those who bought through a carrier should go to AppleCare directly.9to5mac.com+1

What owners are seeing

Owners describe opening or closing the phone, hearing a noise, and then seeing a thin line down the fold and a bright line across the display. One owner said it happened within six hours of purchase, and another said it happened before setup was even finished, iFixit reported. Some users said the hinge got stiff first, and one owner in Australia said an Apple Store replaced their phone on the spot, according to The Verge. Most reports have come from anonymous posts on forums such as Reddit, and some fake images are also circulating, CNBC noted. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman described a growing number of complaints from customers.theverge.com+3

The hinge theory

On Sunday, iFixit published a teardown of the phone. It found that the breaks cluster "near the transition from the gap for the crossing flex cable to the central hinge support," and it called its explanations hypotheses, not a confirmed cause, iFixit wrote. One possibility is that a center support bar doesn't drop far enough when the phone closes, which would put stress on the screen near where the cracks appear, The Register reported. "A manufacturing variance or grain of sand can kill the fragile display panel it protects," iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens wrote on X, as cited by CNBC. iFixit gave the phone a provisional repairability score of 5 out of 10, Wired reported.it.ifixit.com+3

A familiar foldable problem

If the phone is out of warranty, an inner-screen repair costs $999, according to Apple's pricing cited by CNBC. Fragile screens have dogged foldables since 2019, when reviewers found that the inner screen on Samsung Electronics' early folding device cracked during normal use. The Duo is also one of the first devices launched since John Ternus took over as CEO from Tim Cook, The Verge noted.cnbc.com+1

Apple has not said what is causing the cracks. Instead, it pointed to demand for the phone: "The response to iPhone Duo from early users has been incredibly positive," the company said.9to5mac.com