iPhone Duo Screen Failures Reported Globally as Apple’s Most Expensive Phone Goes on Sale
Apple’s new foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, has gone on sale with a starting price of 54,990 CZK for the 256GB base model and reaching 90,990 CZK for the 2-TB version, making it the most expensive iPhone in the company’s history. Alongside its launch, users across Australia, the United States, China, Canada, and Japan have reported display failures occurring near the hinge crease within hours of unboxing, according to social media reports highlighted by Novinky and Digital Trends.
Novinky reported that an Australian Reddit user, Midnight_Slump, experienced a broken display just six hours after purchasing the device, having opened it fewer than twenty times. The user stated on Reddit that while opening the phone to show a friend, they felt unusual resistance near the internal hinge before hearing a snap and seeing a crack form directly along the crease. Reddit moderators verified the user provided photographs and Apple documentation, though they could not independently determine the exact cause.
🚨 the iPHONE DUO is already having a generational fumble!the phone went on sale yesterday, october 23, and users are already reporting problems.> users in japan, china, australia and other countries are reporting display failures around the hinge crease.> an australian… pic.twitter.com/zIBmJSgvOh
Another buyer, posting under the username leftyhyzer16, claimed the display failed before he could even finish setting up the phone. He stated on Reddit that after folding the device perhaps four times, the hinge met resistance, made a loud cracking sound, and left a bright vertical line of pixels across the inner screen. Both users successfully obtained immediate replacements at local Apple Stores, though other owners faced delays due to a lack of high-capacity stock, as reported by Novinky.
Hardware Analysis Points to Hinge Mechanics
Technological experts at iFixit investigated the structural design of the iPhone Duo using CT scans and three-dimensional models, according to Novinky. Their analysis suggests that reported screen damages cluster near the transition between the routing cable gap and the central display support. One hypothesis from iFixit proposes that the support might not retract deeply enough during closure, causing the flexible screen to press against it and create high stress in a localized area, though this remains an unproven hypothesis rather than a confirmed cause for individual failures.
🚨 Another iPhone Duo user in China reportedly faces screen cracked issue…but Apple’s service center says repairs are impossible due to a lack of parts, with no restock date in sight. 😳 pic.twitter.com/Nmt8S0n0Sn
Independent durability tests from testers like YouTuber Tim Pan and journalist Joanna Stern yielded varying results on the foldable mechanism. As reported by Žive, Tim Pan manually and mechanically folded the iPhone Duo 11,500 times—including 1,000 cycles at minus twenty degrees Celsius—which resulted in a significantly deepened crease along the hinge while the mechanism continued to function. In contrast, Joanna Stern completed 32,640 folds during her evaluation, noting that while the hinge felt slightly looser, the device performed normally in everyday use with a calibrated dynamometer showing the hinge actually grew slightly stiffer.
Design Trade-Offs and Features of the Foldable Device
The device features an Apple A20 Pro processor and a 48-megapixel camera system. To accommodate the thin titanium chassis derived from the iPhone Air development, Apple omitted Face ID in favor of a capacitive Touch ID power button on the side of the device, according to Smartmania.
Smartmania noted that users missing the convenience of Face ID can bypass the side fingerprint reader by enabling an automatic unlock feature using nearby, unlocked Apple Watch devices paired to the phone.
Frequently Asked Questions About iPhone Duo Issues
What causes the screen crack reported by early iPhone Duo owners?
According to Novinky, iFixit’s preliminary examination suggests that hinge stress may occur near the internal cable gap and central support if the support fails to retract fully during closure. However, Apple has not confirmed an official cause for the reported failures.
How much does the iPhone Duo cost in stores?
As reported by Novinky, the base model with 256GB of storage is priced at 54,990 CZK, while the top-tier 2-TB configuration costs 90,990 CZK.
Does the iPhone Duo feature Face ID for biometric security?
No, Smartmania reported that Apple replaced Face ID with a capacitive Touch ID fingerprint sensor located on the side of the titanium chassis, which can also be unlocked automatically using a nearby paired Apple Watch.
Related reading