Apple to Replace iPhone Duos Affected by Screen Problem
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Apple said it is aware of “an issue impacting the inner display” on a small number of its new iPhone Duo foldable phones and directed affected customers to AppleCare for replacements, after owners posted photographs of cracked screens within days of the device’s launch.
The problems reported include cracks along the phone’s center fold, sometimes accompanied by a bright line of stuck pixels, and a crunching noise when the device is opened, Business Insider and the BBC reported. In a statement, Apple said the response to the Duo from early users had been “incredibly positive,” and that anyone with a display problem “should contact AppleCare for a replacement.” The company did not say how many units were affected or what caused the cracking.
The Duo, Apple’s first folding phone, went on sale last week to crowds outside its stores. Its 7.6-inch inner display is held by a central hinge, a complex mechanical component that has troubled rivals before: reviewers reported broken screens on Samsung’s original Galaxy Fold in 2019, shortly after that phone’s release. Priced from £1,999 in Britain, the Duo is the most expensive iPhone Apple has sold.
The launch also drew mockery. Internet memes circulated about “T-shaped” screen cracks and about the phone’s dual-screen design, which critics say invites divided attention; some postings appeared to be staged or altered images. Analysts said the episode, while limited, matters for a premium product: how Apple handles a first-generation defect will shape buyer confidence in its foldables well beyond the initial units.
Apple Chief Executive John Ternus had introduced the device at the company’s California headquarters, saying its design would “redefine the experience of using a foldable phone” against competitors’ offerings that he said felt like “two phones awkwardly stuck together.” Android makers spent years building the foldable market Apple entered late.
The Duo’s waitlist stretched for weeks at launch. Whether replacement demand spreads beyond isolated units will become clearer as early adopters complete their first weeks with the device.