iPhone Duo, USA News: Apple has confirmed a defect impacting the inner display of its newly launched iPhone Duo, the company’s first foldable smartphone, priced at £2,000. Dozens of owners have reported their screens cracking within hours or days of purchase. Users described hearing a crunching noise when opening the handset, followed by large fractures forming along the central crease of the display. Some also noticed white patches and other malfunctions on the right-hand side of the screen.
Reports of the fault first emerged on Reddit and other social media platforms, where users quickly dubbed the issue “crackgate.” Bloomberg independently confirmed the problem with more than six affected customers, who shared photographs and records of their exchanges with Apple support. One customer wrote on social media that there are many cases on Reddit breaking in the exact same place, while another posted that a defective part in the hinge is causing pressure on the screen.
In every reported case, owners said they could feel a bump beneath the display near the origin of the crack. Repair specialists at iFixit, who regularly disassemble devices to examine their components, believe a failing part within the hinge mechanism is pressing into the screen and causing it to fracture, rather than the display panel itself being faulty.
An Apple spokesman stated that the company is aware of an issue impacting the inner display on a small number of iPhone Duo units, and advised users experiencing problems to contact AppleCare for a replacement.
The iPhone Duo represents the most significant redesign in the device’s history and marks Apple’s long-awaited entry into the foldable market, arriving more than eight years after Samsung pioneered the category. The screen problems follow remarks by John Ternus, who became Apple’s chief executive earlier this year, and Tom Marieb, head of hardware engineering, who urged customers to hold the company accountable for crease durability.
IDC analyst Francisco Jeronimo noted that the episode demonstrated that even a company with Apple’s engineering resources faces a steep learning curve in foldables, adding that Apple’s swift response directing customers to support was the right first step. Prior to the cracking reports, the Duo had attracted mixed verdicts from technology reviewers, including criticisms regarding third-party app optimization and app layout, as well as commentary from figures such as John Gruber and Marques Brownlee.
