Apple has acknowledged reports of display failures affecting a small number of its newly launched iPhone Duo smartphones, just days after the device made its retail debut to long lines and heavy pre-order demand. The $1,999-and-up foldable phone, which arrived in stores on Friday, October 23, 2026, has drawn complaints from early buyers on online forums who reported that the inner screen can break, leaving horizontal bright lines emanating from the hinge.
An Apple representative stated on Monday that the company is aware of the issue and is offering replacements under the AppleCare warranty. For customers whose devices are out of warranty, Apple lists the cost of an inner-screen repair at $999 on its official website. While many of the initial damage accounts surfaced from anonymous users on platforms like Reddit and X alongside unverified images, device repair firm iFixit weighed in on Sunday following a hardware teardown and dust-resistance testing.
iFixit technician Shahram Mokhtari noted in the teardown video that several damage reports involved users hearing a crunch while folding or unfolding the phone and pushing past the resistance, pointing to the hinge’s unique geometry near the failure point. iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens further elaborated on X, describing the hinge mechanism as comprising dozens of parts built with high precision, noting that a manufacturing variance or a stray grain of sand could potentially damage the fragile display panel it protects.
The durability challenges echo wider industry hurdles that have faced foldable smartphones since 2019, when early folding devices from manufacturers like Samsung suffered from inner screen cracking during normal use and emerged as a primary obstacle to mainstream adoption. Early reviewers of the iPhone Duo praised its unfolded display for multitasking and media consumption, though they observed that many applications had not yet been optimized for the device’s expanded dimensions.
Apple maintained that software adaptation is already underway. The company representative stated that early user response has been exceptionally positive and that developers are rapidly updating their applications to utilize the unique form factor of the new foldable device.
