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 were numerous cases breaking in the exact same place, while 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, 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 said: “We are aware of an issue impacting the inner display on a small number of iPhone Duo units. If users experience issues with their iPhone Duo display, they should 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 are an embarrassing blow for John Ternus, the mechanical engineer who became Apple’s chief executive earlier this year and whom investors expect to reinvigorate the company’s product innovation. Before launch, Mr Ternus had dismissed rival Android foldables as “cheap and crappy,” while Apple’s head of hardware engineering, Tom Marieb, 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, with owners reporting flickering and failing screens. IDC analyst Francisco Jeronimo said the episode demonstrated that even a company with Apple’s engineering resources and supply chain discipline faces a steep learning curve in foldables, adding that Apple’s swift response directing customers to support was the right first step.
The Duo had already attracted mixed verdicts from technology reviewers before the cracking reports surfaced. While early assessments praised the near-invisible hinge as a notable engineering achievement, critics highlighted the absence of a telephoto lens and the fact that many third-party apps have yet to be optimised for the larger unfolded screen. Several prominent commentators advised most consumers not to buy it, with longtime Apple writer John Gruber describing the device as feeling like an extraordinarily polished prototype rather than a finished product, and YouTuber Marques Brownlee suggesting it is probably a no for ordinary users.
