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 many cases on Reddit were breaking in the exact same place. Another posted that a defective part in the hinge was 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 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 they are aware of an issue impacting the inner display on a small number of iPhone Duo units and advised users experiencing issues to contact AppleCare for a replacement.
The iPhone Duo represents the most significant redesign in the device’s history and marks Apple’s entry into the foldable market, arriving more than eight years after Samsung pioneered the category. The screen problems follow remarks made before launch by John Ternus, who became Apple’s chief executive earlier this year, and Apple’s head of hardware engineering, Tom Marieb, who had urged customers to hold the company accountable for the crease’s durability.
Samsung’s own debut foldable, the Galaxy Fold, suffered similar teething troubles in 2019. 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, while adding that Apple’s swift response directing customers to support was the right first step. The device had previously received mixed verdicts from technology reviewers, including John Gruber and Marques Brownlee, regarding app optimization, features, and its £2,000 price point.
