Apple Reportedly Acknowledges iPhone Duo Inner Display Failures After Users Report Cracks

Apple finally launched its first foldable iPhone this year. The iPhone Duo is also the most expensive iPhone to date, but it appears to be facing some early teething problems. In recent days, the handset has had to contend with the challenges of adapting iOS to a book-style display, with some early adopters raising concerns about app optimisation. However, a more serious hardware issue appears to be emerging. Users have allegedly reported cracks on the inner display near the hinge, and Apple has now acknowledged the issue.

iPhone Duo Display Issues Acknowledged by Apple

The iPhone Duo's reported display failures have raised questions about the durability of Apple's first foldable. Several users on social media claim that their inner screens have developed cracks close to the hinge. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported on X that the screen-cracking issue was real, adding that Apple had not yet provided guidance to its retail stores or customer service representatives at the time of his initial post.

In a subsequent post, Gurman shared Apple's response, which acknowledged that a small number of iPhone Duo units were experiencing inner display problems. Apple has advised affected customers to contact AppleCare for a replacement.

In a statement to MacRumors, Apple said the response from early iPhone Duo users had been positive and highlighted developers' efforts to update their apps for the device's form factor. The company also confirmed that it was aware of the inner display issue, although it did not specify what was causing the failures.

Images shared on Reddit show damage concentrated around the hinge area of the iPhone Duo's inner display. In several cases, the faults appear as a line of bright pixels running across one side of the screen.

One owner in Australia reportedly said that the display cracked after fewer than 20 opening and closing cycles, despite there being no visible damage beforehand. The user subsequently visited an Apple Store, where the tech giant replaced the broken device. Several other images of damaged displays have also circulated on social media.

What Could Be Causing the Display Damage?

A teardown and dust test conducted by iFixit has offered some possible explanations for the reported failures. The repair website found that dust could enter the iPhone Duo's hinge despite the phone's IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.

iFixit suggested several possible explanations for the display failures, including pressure on the inner screen, a particle trapped near the hinge, repeated bending, or a manufacturing defect. It also noted that the visible fault may not necessarily mean the display panel itself has physically snapped, since a wiring issue could produce a similar line of faulty pixels.

The location of the reported damage may offer another clue. Many of the affected screens appear to fail near an area where the hinge changes shape, close to the accordion cable and the point where several edges meet. This could create a concentration of mechanical stress as the device is opened and closed.

The last possibility is the curved rails inside the hinge, which follow the screen's pivot points. According to iFixit, these rails may lift above the hinge's flat plates as the phone closes, with one rail aligning with the reported damage.