Some iPhone Duo Screens Are Cracking on Day One — But Don’t Panic Yet
Bitter_Offer7123 / Reddit
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The iPhone Duo has been in customers’ hands for less than 24 hours, and already a few unfortunate early adopters have encountered their first problems with Apple’s new foldable right out of the gate.
While these issues are undoubtedly the exception out of the millions of iPhone Duo devices showing up on people’s doorsteps today, it goes to show the perils of a first-generation design.
Unsurprisingly, the chief problems are with the two most critical areas of any foldable smartphone design: the inside screen and the hinge. Eight hours ago, a new iPhone Duo owner in Australia shared a photo on Reddit of a badly cracked iPhone Duo:
Had my iPhone Duo for about six hours and had probably opened it fewer than 20 times. I was showing it to a friend, and as I opened it, I felt something around the internal hinge, underneath the screen. As I continued opening it, I heard an audible crack, and the screen broke right along the hinge. There were no marks or damage on the inner screen’s surface or the external hinge to suggest anything had been caught or damaged.
While the r/iPhoneDuo moderators verified that the photo is accurate, some are still expressing skepticism about the description as to how it happened. However, it’s not unreasonable that a few devices may come off the production line with defects.
That’s what warranties are for, and the author of the original post said they were quite happy with how Apple handled it, although the high demand meant that Apple’s online support couldn’t guarantee how quickly they’d receive a replacement, so they had to visit their local Apple Store instead.
They saw me straight away, apologised and replaced it with a brand-new one on the spot. All in all, happy with how Apple handled it, but pretty disappointed to be spending my Friday night at the Apple Store just before closing. I hadn’t even finished signing into all my apps yet.
There have also been several posts that show photos of cracked demo units in Apple Stores in China, but it wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen display units at Apple Stores fare more poorly. The iPhone 17 Pro launched to some controversy last year when retail display units showed significant scuffing on the new aluminum unibody and back glass, but that problem turned out to be entirely a non-issue for most iPhone 17 Pro owners.
What’s not too surprising is that most of these cracks are appearing in the same spot: right along the iPhone Duo’s fold. In some cases, the photos are showing screen damage that’s not manifesting as an obvious crack, but rather one or more unusual bright lines along the display.
Before you cancel your iPhone Duo preorder, it’s worth keeping in mind that these early reports represent potentially abused retail display units and anecdotal stories from a few people who may have simply gotten unlucky. Several reviewers have put the iPhone Duo through thousands of folds without breaking it, including Joanna Stern, who commissioned a special robot to fold it 32,640 times — at 17 folds per minute for eight hours a night.
Then there’s Tim Pan of MediaStorm, who understandably only did about a third of the number of folds, since he was working by hand.
In both cases, the iPhone Duo not only survived those torture tests but came out none the worse for wear beyond a slightly more visible crease on the screen.
Apple has already posted a support document outlining some quick troubleshooting steps for common issues that new iPhone Duo owners may encounter, including problems opening or closing the device fully, hearing unexpected noises when opening or closing, or dealing with a loose, bent, or broken hinge.
The document basically just suggests checking obvious things like a case or screen protector that might be causing problems, along with dust, debris, or dents, and then cleaning the iPhone. If none of that solves the problem, the final solution is to “Replace the part.”
Apple also published the iPhone Duo repair manual as part of its Self Service Repair program, including a list of parts. There’s no word on when you’ll be able to actually order those, but at this point that’s not something most folks should consider anyway unless they’ve blatantly manhandled their new foldable in a way that makes it obvious the damage isn’t covered under warranty.
At this early stage, Apple is likely to give most customers the benefit of the doubt and simply assume it’s a warranty issue for things like cracked inner displays and hinge problems, which means you should get a free replacement, even if you don’t have AppleCare+ coverage.
That said, the fragility of this device makes AppleCare+ a really good idea. Out-of-warranty repairs for the inner display will set you back $999 without AppleCare+, while “other damage” can run up to $1,499. AppleCare+ for the iPhone Duo costs $19.99 per month or $199.99 per year and reduces repair costs to $99 or less while also adding Theft and Loss coverage with a $149 deductible.
