Apple has acknowledged an inner-display fault affecting a small number of iPhone Duo units and directed affected owners to AppleCare for replacements. The company's first foldable phone, which starts at $1,999, reached shops on Friday. Some owners reported failures within hours or days of initial use.
Reported symptoms include cracks along the central crease, bright lines and white patches, sometimes preceded by a crunch when the phone is unfolded. Apple says most units are not susceptible and that affected devices develop the fault soon after first use. Some customers have obtained replacements in shops, while others face waits for stock following advance orders that sold out within minutes on 16 October.
Repair specialist iFixit investigated the hinge through a teardown and a three-dimensional model constructed using footage, patents and CT scans. One simulation suggested that a central support bar might fail to retract sufficiently, creating a pressure point against the folding display. Other possible explanations involve a moving rail contacting the screen or stress where several components converge; these remain hypotheses.
The teardown also found that fine particles could enter the hinge despite the phone's dust-resistance rating, potentially damaging the display. Nevertheless, iFixit described the Duo as the most repairable folding device it had examined, awarding a provisional score of five out of ten, pending replacement-part availability. Although the outer display, batteries and smaller components were relatively accessible, the inner screen and hinge accounted for the largest deduction.
