Some iPhone Duo units are showing damaged inner displays within hours of purchase, with multiple owners reporting cracks during setup or after only a few hours of use. Apple’s first foldable iPhone went on sale on October 23.
Owners report early display failures
Multiple owners have posted photos and accounts on Reddit describing inner-screen damage that appeared during setup or after only a few hours of use. In Australia, Reddit user Midnight_Slump says their screen cracked along the hinge after about six hours and fewer than 20 openings; they reported feeling something beneath the display while unfolding it, then hearing a crack. In Dallas, leftyhyzer16 says the screen cracked before setup finished, after the hinge became tight following roughly four folds and the owner pushed past that resistance before hearing a loud pop. Reddit user schemastic describes a case less than seven hours after collecting the phone, saying they felt an impact when the device was fully opened and noting they used a folio case but were unsure whether it had snagged. Unique_Parsnip_57 reported cracking, discoloration and a black line around the crease of a six-hour-old iPhone Duo. A Reddit poster at an Apple Store in Toronto says they saw another customer’s iPhone Duo break before setup was finished, and other owners have reported similar display failures on social media. It is too early to know how common these failures are or whether they share a cause, but multiple owners reporting damaged screens within hours of purchase is enough to raise concerns.
iPhone Duo durability tests show hinge and screen vulnerabilities
In a durability test by Zack Nelson of JerryRigEverything, the iPhone Duo was covered in a large amount of sand and dirt and repeatedly opened and closed; the hinge eventually jammed so the phone no longer closed all the way. The test is far harsher than normal use, and Nelson is not recreating the controlled lab conditions used for IP68 ratings, but the result is notable given Apple rates the device IP68. Apple’s handling guide advises owners to keep sand and grit away from the hinge and to check it is clean before opening the phone. Nelson’s bend test also exposed a screen issue: after bending the iPhone Duo backwards, green lines appeared on the inner display and it eventually stopped responding to touch. By contrast, his earlier test of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 showed the frame flex and the back glass briefly lift while the inner display continued to work; the Samsung phone’s inner display still functioned after the bend test, which Nelson describes as handling the bend test better.
