Apple Acknowledges Screen Failures on New iPhone Duo Foldable

Apple has confirmed it is looking into reports of damaged inner screens on the iPhone Duo, its first foldable phone, just days after the device went on sale. The company said the problem affects only a small number of units.

The iPhone Duo reached stores on Friday, drawing considerable lines, and pre-orders came with long wait times. The phone starts at $1,999. Some buyers who secured one over the opening weekend have since reported that the inner display can fail, showing bright horizontal lines that spread out from the hinge.

In a statement to CNBC on Monday, an Apple representative said: "We are aware of an issue impacting the inner display on a small number of iPhone Duo units." The representative added that users who run into display trouble should contact AppleCare for a replacement. Apple's website lists an inner-screen repair at $999 for devices that are no longer under warranty.

Much of the evidence so far comes from anonymous customers posting on forums such as Reddit and X, and fake images of damaged phones are also circulating online. The repair firm iFixit, which is well respected in the industry, offered its own analysis on Sunday after tearing down the device and testing its resistance to dust.

iFixit suggested the hinge design may be behind the failures. Technician Shahram Mokhtari said in the teardown video that many damage reports describe folding or unfolding the phone, hearing a crunch, and pushing past it. "Right where the damage is happening, the hinge is shaped a little differently," he said.

iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens wrote on X that the hinge is made of dozens of parts built with "ludicrous precision." He added that "a manufacturing variance or grain of sand can kill the fragile display panel it protects."

Fragile screens have dogged foldable phones since 2019, and they have been viewed as a major obstacle to wider adoption of the technology. That year Samsung released one of its first folding devices, and reviewers quickly found that its inner screen cracked during ordinary use.

Early reviewers of the iPhone Duo have praised the experience of using it unfolded, particularly for multitasking and media. They noted, however, that many apps have not yet been updated to take full advantage of the larger and wider screens.

Apple said on Monday that app updates are already under way. "The response to iPhone Duo from early users has been incredibly positive, and we are seeing exciting things from developers who are rapidly updating their apps to take advantage of its unique form factor," an Apple representative said in a statement.