iPhone Duo: First Reports of Cracked Displays as Sales Begin
The inner display of Apple's first foldable iPhone has cracked along the fold in isolated cases. Whether there is a wider problem remains unclear.
By Marcel
Automatically translated from German · may contain errors · Read the original
Shortly after sales of the iPhone Duo, Apple's first foldable iPhone, began on Friday, October 23, the first reports of cracked inner displays have emerged. Photos of devices with displays broken along the hinge have appeared on Reddit, in forums and in Chinese media.
Often, a bright, glowing line of pixels shows up on one side of the display. So far, only a few cases from the first day of sales have been reported. Whether isolated manufacturing defects, a broader problem or, in some cases, improper handling are to blame is still unclear.
The iPhone Duo is a book-style foldable smartphone with an outer and an inner display. Preorders were possible starting October 16. In the U.S., the device with 256 gigabytes of storage starts at $1,999; in Germany, it starts at around 2,299 euros. As we reported on October 21, YouTuber Marques Brownlee, after his test of the iPhone Duo, advises most buyers against it: The device is fun, he said, but heavy, lacks Face ID and has weaker cameras.
Display breaks after a few hours
The best-documented case is that of a user in Australia. According to his account on Reddit, his device broke after about six hours and fewer than 20 openings. When he opened it to show it to a friend, he said he felt something in the area of the inner hinge beneath the display. Then there was an audible crack, and the display broke right along the crease.
No scratches, trapped objects or external damage were visible, he said. Apple immediately replaced the device with a new one free of charge at the store. Moderators of the Reddit forum reviewed photos and Apple documents and confirmed the incident as genuine, but not the cause.
In addition, images show display units in China with very similar damage in the same spot. Sales there began earlier because of the time difference. Other isolated photos are circulating online, including on the platform X. These images could not be independently verified.
Apple has so far issued no official public statement. Before the market launch, testers had put the device through intensive folding tests, in some cases with tens of thousands of openings by robot. They found no cracks.
Expensive repair without extra insurance
Damage from normal use should be covered by the one-year warranty. A 14-day right of return also applies.
Outside the warranty, it gets expensive: In Germany, replacing the inner display without Apple's extra insurance AppleCare+ costs 1,149 euros. Other severe damage can cost up to 1,719 euros. With AppleCare+, the deductible for the inner display drops to 99 euros.