Apple’s first foldable iPhone is now in customers’ hands, but some are already reporting damaged inner displays. Photos online show cracks along the iPhone Duo’s hinge, sometimes with bright lines on the screen. One owner says their $1,999 phone broke after fewer than 20 openings.
These reports appeared on October 23, the same day Apple’s first foldable iPhone went on sale.
MacRumors reports that an iPhone Duo owner in Australia said the device’s inner display cracked after about six hours of use.
The owner said they opened the phone fewer than 20 times before feeling something unusual around the hinge while unfolding it. They then heard a cracking sound, and damage appeared along the fold.
The owner said there was no visible damage to the display or hinge before the incident. According to their account, the Apple Store replaced the device right away.
Other photos posted on Reddit and the MacRumors forums show display problems near the folding mechanism. Some images show bright horizontal lines across part of the inner screen.
However, it’s still unclear what happened in some of these cases, including photos said to be of demo units in China.
The Verge also reported these complaints on October 23.
These reports stand out because Apple has highlighted the iPhone Duo’s folding mechanism as especially durable.
Apple’s official product information describes a precision-engineered hinge and a multilayer inner display made for repeated folding.
The iPhone Duo has a 7.6-inch folding OLED display and a 5.4-inch external screen. It starts at $1,999 in the US and is Apple’s first foldable smartphone.
These early complaints raise questions about the durability of some devices, but they don’t show a widespread manufacturing problem.
It’s not clear how many devices are affected, and there isn’t enough evidence yet to say if the incidents have a common cause related to manufacturing or design.
For now, these reports point to a possible concern for early buyers of Apple’s most expensive iPhone, especially as the company starts delivering its first foldable phones.