Key takeaways
- On launch day, Apple published an official iPhone Duo repair manual with steps for the inner display, both batteries, the enclosure and more. But iPhone Duo parts are not yet available in its Self Service Repair Store.
- Apple also published support documents for hinge problems, including unexpected noise, a loose hinge and a “bent or broken hinge.”
- My view: a manual without parts is just to keep the regulators quiet. And a support page for a broken hinge on day one says everything about the hinge Apple bragged about.
On October 23, the day the iPhone Duo went on sale, Apple published a set of support documents and an official repair manual for it. The manual is for users and independent technicians and covers replacing the back glass, cameras, both batteries, the logic board, the outer display, the cover layer, the inner display, the USB-C port and the Touch ID buttons. It also includes an operating manual for a heated display removal fixture.
Apple says people should read the whole manual first and only start if they feel comfortable. There are extra safety guides for broken glass and batteries. But there is a catch: Apple sells genuine parts and tools through its Self Service Repair Store, and parts for the iPhone Duo are not available there yet.
In this article: A recipe without the ingredients · A support page for a broken hinge, on day one · Who will fix this at home? · The most expensive iPhone to own · Why would it be expensive? There is AppleCare+ · Apple knew, and still rushed · Would I fix it myself? · FAQ
A recipe without the ingredients
It is like they gave us a manual, but they don’t sell the parts for the repair. Maybe they think we have to find them ourselves, or how do they imagine it? But we know for sure that they made that manual only so they can shut the mouths of the regulators.
Apple knows very well that if it doesn’t do it, after some time they will come to it with a fine. It is a company watched under a microscope, and I mean by governments. Don’t forget that when Apple makes some mistake, they immediately want billions in fines. So I think it is only so they have clean hands and don’t pay fines just like that. In the EU, for example, spare part prices have to be published and parts must stay available for years.
A support page for a broken hinge, on day one
In one of the new documents, Apple explains what to do if your iPhone Duo won’t open or close completely, makes an unexpected noise when opening or closing, has a loose hinge, a bent or broken hinge, or enclosure damage that affects the hinge. Apple publishes support documents for every new iPhone, but this list says a lot.
That they have such documentation about what can appear with the hinge already speaks for itself. They really should not have rushed with the Duo. It will probably be the biggest weak spot, like with every foldable. So I think we will wait for some unexpected noises from the hinge, or a lot of loosening.
And what fascinates me most is the broken hinge. You brag about a hinge with over 100 parts, that it is a must-have, and then you publish such a document for repairs. That already leads to the thought that it is not as good as they described it to us. And it came on the same day the first inner screens cracked along the hinge.
Who will fix this at home?
If you are so good that you trust yourself to replace it at home, then you are good. But that manual is more for repair shops, or for single technically gifted people. I think nobody will just replace that display.
iFixit, which has taken apart foldables for seven years, wrote before the launch that the iPhone Duo “probably won’t be fixable.” On the Pixel Fold, the best-rated foldable, replacing the inner screen takes over 200 steps and three to five hours for an experienced technician. And iFixit calls hinges “the Achilles heel of foldable durability.”
The most expensive iPhone to own
Is this Apple’s most expensive phone to maintain? Yes, in my opinion it is Apple’s most expensive phone in its whole history. Not only the most expensive to buy, but also the most expensive to repair. A new inner display costs $999 without AppleCare+. The back glass starts at $199, and the rear camera costs $229.
Now you have to take care of the phone almost like a baby, so it doesn’t fall by accident. And before you put it in your pocket, you have to clean that pocket completely, so that no micro dirt gets under the display and destroys that big screen.
| Repair | Apple price (US) |
|---|---|
| Inner display | $999 ($99 with AppleCare+) |
| Back glass | from $199 |
| Rear camera | $229 |
| AppleCare+ | $399 up front or $19.99/month |
| Self-repair parts | not available yet |
Why would it be expensive? There is AppleCare+
A reader on iFixit predicted that many iPhone Duos will end up as single-screen phones once the inner display fails and is too expensive to fix. But why would it be expensive? Don’t forget that Apple also sells a subscription for it, AppleCare+ for $19.99 a month. That is only sarcasm.
I believe that even so, it will be used mostly as a phone with one display. I already said that the foldable form factor is not that practical, and that the Duo will stay closed most of the time. But the prediction that it will end up as a phone with one screen because the inner one is too fragile and will have problems has every right to exist. We will see.
Apple knew, and still rushed
Apple knows all of this in advance, but even so, in my opinion, they rushed and started selling it. Such a fragile phone they could still have fine-tuned and then released. Reports say that under John Ternus, Apple wants to launch new products faster instead of waiting. And then what happens, happens.
Would I fix it myself?
If I had a Duo and the display cracked, would I repair it myself? Not at all. I said that only a few can repair it themselves at home. It is not just like that, it is very hard to repair. And I think many people will really stay with it as a thick phone with one display.
Also on Evolt News: iPhone Duo screens crack on day one · Ternus and the “cheap and crappy” foldables
Photo: Apple.
This article is opinion.
iPhone Duo repair: FAQ
Can you repair the iPhone Duo yourself?
Apple has published an official iPhone Duo repair manual for users and independent technicians. However, iPhone Duo parts are not yet available in Apple’s Self Service Repair Store.
What does the iPhone Duo repair manual cover?
It covers the back glass, cameras, both batteries, the logic board, the outer display, the cover layer, the inner display, the USB-C connector, the volume buttons and the Touch ID buttons, plus a heated display removal fixture.
What hinge problems does Apple list for the iPhone Duo?
Apple’s support document covers a device that won’t open or close completely, unexpected noise, a loose hinge, a bent or broken hinge, and enclosure damage that affects the hinge.
How much do iPhone Duo repairs cost?
Apple charges $999 for the inner display without AppleCare+ ($99 with it), from $199 for back glass and $229 for the rear camera.
Is the iPhone Duo easy to repair?
iFixit has not scored the iPhone Duo yet, but before launch it said the phone “probably won’t be fixable.” Foldables have scored between 1 and 4 out of 10 in its tests.
Sources: 9to5Mac, Apple Support, iFixit, The Cooldown, PhoneArena, Analytics Insight.
Our Take
Apple published an iPhone Duo repair manual on launch day, but you can’t buy the parts yet. For me, it is a manual for the regulators, not for us.
A support page for a broken hinge on day one, a $999 inner screen and a phone you have to treat like a baby. I would not fix it myself, and I think many Duos will end up as thick phones with one screen.
