iPhone Duo Users Report Creased, Cracked Screens After Launch
Early iPhone Duo owners have posted photos of creases, cracked screens and display faults along the phone’s fold. Apple said it is aware of an inner-display…
iPhone Duo users already report creases and cracked screens along the fold of Apple’s $2,000 phone, just days after its release. Apple said it is aware of an issue affecting the inner display on a small number of units, as early owners share photos and accounts of screen failures.
Some users say they heard a crack while opening the phone. Others describe a bright white line of stuck pixels stretching from the center of the display to its edge. The reports have raised questions about what Apple will replace and whether the visible crease is a fault or an expected feature of a folding screen.
Reports focus on the hinge and inner display
One owner, writing on Reddit’s r/iPhoneDuo, said the screen broke after about six hours of ownership and fewer than 20 openings. The person described feeling something near the internal hinge, then hearing a crack as the phone opened.
“As I continued opening it, I heard an audible crack, and the screen broke right along the hinge,” the owner wrote.
Other posts show a broad crease down the center. Some users also report the white-line display fault, which appears to extend from the fold toward the outside edge of the screen.
Apple told Bloomberg it was “aware of an issue impacting the inner display on a small number of iPhone Duo units,” according to TechCrunch. Apple did not immediately respond to 404 Media’s request for comment about the crease.
That distinction matters to buyers. 9to5 Mac reported that most people seeing the white-line glitch have been able to get a replacement from Apple. Whether the company will replace a phone that has a crease but no reported screen failure remains unclear.
Teardown points to possible hinge pressure
iFixit’s teardown analysis suggested components around the hinge could be related to the white line. The group outlined two possible mechanisms, while making clear they were possibilities rather than confirmed causes.
“One possibility is that a central support bar isn’t retracting properly as the phone closes, potentially putting excessive pressure on the display,” iFixit wrote. It also said curved rails that guide hinge movement could interfere with the screen if they fail to move as intended.
The early complaints have put the fold itself under scrutiny. Some owners accept a visible crease as part of using a folding phone; one commenter responded to a crease photo by saying, “The crease is there. Just enjoy the fact that you have one.” But a cracked screen or a line of stuck pixels is a different problem for people relying on the device day to day.
That gap between an expected fold and a damaged display could shape how buyers judge the Duo—and how Apple handles support requests. The company has acknowledged an issue on a small number of devices, but has not publicly specified what causes it or outlined a replacement policy for crease-only complaints.
Fold tests show different results
Reviewers and gadget creators have subjected the phone to repeated folding tests. TheCaseTester saw a crease after 1,000 folds, while Tim Pan folded his device 11,500 times and reported a similar result. CNET’s custom-built machine passed 55,000 folds, and journalist Joanna Stern said that after 32,000 folds the phone felt “pretty much the same.”
Those tests do not establish why individual screens are cracking or developing display faults. They do show why the crease has become a central concern: it can appear during use, while some owners describe a more serious failure at the same point. Apple has yet to say whether it will replace Duo units showing only the center crease.
Source: 404media.co
