Key takeaways
- On launch day, an iPhone Duo owner in Australia said his inner screen cracked along the hinge after about six hours and fewer than 20 openings, with no drop. Apple apologized and replaced it in the store. More owners shared similar photos.
- Replacing the iPhone Duo’s inner display costs $999 without AppleCare+ and $99 with it. AppleCare+ costs $399 up front, and sites already call it almost mandatory.
- My view: $2,000 for the phone, $400 for insurance, and another $99 when it breaks. This is madness, and I will not support it.
The iPhone Duo went on sale on October 23, and on the same day the first photos of cracked inner screens appeared. The most detailed case comes from an owner in Australia, who posted on Reddit that his inner display cracked after about six hours and fewer than 20 openings. He said he was opening the phone for a friend, felt something under the screen near the hinge, and then heard a crack. There were no marks of a drop on the screen or the hinge.
Reddit moderators checked his photos and Apple paperwork and confirmed the broken phone and its replacement, but not the cause. Apple first offered an express replacement with a hold for the full price of the phone. Then an Apple Store apologized and replaced it with a new Duo on the spot. Other owners shared photos and videos of screens broken in a similar place along the hinge, and there are images of broken demo units in China with an unknown history. Nobody knows how many units are affected, and Apple has not commented.
In this article: My favorite season has started · Apple replaced it fast. Now we wait · $2,000, plus $400, plus $99 · A phone that cannot go anywhere? · The hinge they sold us · Ternus and the “cheap and crappy” foldables · Would I buy it without AppleCare+? · Not another Bendgate · FAQ
My favorite season has started
Let’s start with how rudely Apple fans are already taking it. My favorite season is starting now: the season when testers who chased the new phone start sharing defects and cracks, and show everyone the “invention of the year.” The same with that hinge with over 100 parts. Maybe one of those 100 parts came off the hinge and damaged the display. That is only my guess.
Right after six hours, that is probably a real record. But it is still the first well-documented case, so for now it looks more like bad luck. Still, something tells me that a very interesting period is starting now.
Apple replaced it fast. Now we wait
Apple apologized and replaced the phone right away. Is that good service, or a quiet way to sweep the problem under the carpet? For me, it is still too early. There was too little time for Apple to say anything. But as we know Apple, there have to be many more units before it says something. So we wait. I don’t think it will take long before we find out.
$2,000, plus $400, plus $99
And this is where I am furious. Replacing the iPhone Duo’s inner display costs $999 without AppleCare+. With AppleCare+ it costs $99, and AppleCare+ itself is $399 up front or $19.99 a month. Websites already tell buyers that AppleCare+ is almost mandatory, and some write that you shouldn’t buy the Duo without it.
For God’s sake, do you want to tell me that I should pay $2,000 for a phone and another $400 out of my pocket? Apple sells the most expensive iPhone in history and at the same time charges $999 for a new inner screen. And for that $400 nobody replaces it automatically. I will still pay extra at the replacement.
Where do we live, people? Please, it is enough to support this madness. They sell it and they know it is a weak spot that can break, and they collect money for that too. So it sounds like this: we sell you a very expensive phone with a hinge that is soft, and if you want a replacement when something happens to the display, buy AppleCare for $400 on top. What is this? I will not support it. They are just pulling money out of us. And without that extra, you pay $1,000. What kind of nonsense is that?
| Without AppleCare+ | With AppleCare+ | |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone Duo price | from $1,999 | from $1,999 |
| AppleCare+ | none | $399 up front or $19.99/month |
| New inner display | $999 | $99 |
| Total with one screen repair | $2,998 | $2,497 |
A phone that cannot go anywhere?
Do I believe the photos from day one? I believe them, and I know there will be more. Some people say he did it himself, or that sand got under the display. So what is that supposed to mean? That this phone is so sensitive that you cannot take it anywhere, so that nothing happens to the display?
Sometimes I have the feeling that some commenters wander around the internet and push the blame, at any cost, onto the people who post these photos. Think about it yourselves. Six hours: it is clear the phone did not fall. So let’s say the person put it in a handbag or a pocket, and some tiny dirt got under the display and destroyed it. Is it made that fragile, with holes where dirt gets in? Wow. This is the mega effect of Apple’s last two months.
The hinge they sold us
I mentioned the crease because I watched the YouTube test where Tim Pan folded the Duo 10,000 times. Now I can probably say with certainty: what they sold us before the Duo went on sale was the hinge, and as we see, it is no good from the start. After a year, in my opinion, it will look like the most bendy foldable on the market.
And don’t forget: if you press a little in the middle, you can damage that hinge with its many fine details. It is already shown that when you press in the middle, it is soft and wavy. A video from China showed the surface bending and wrinkling under light pressure. To be fair, in another robot test the hinge survived more than 32,000 folds. But a hinge that survives is not much help if the screen next to it cracks and looks ugly. Apple worked for years only on the illusion that it is so far ahead.
Ternus and the “cheap and crappy” foldables
John Ternus told TIME that other foldables “felt kind of cheap and crappy,” as I wrote in my article on that interview. Now nothing has changed. He is another egoist they put in the CEO seat, in my opinion. I watched that interview, and he looks as if the Duo is almost ideal. But in fact, it is just a weak phone for a lot of money, with a $400 insurance on top. They don’t seem to know how else to pull money from us. The further we go, the more money.
Would I buy it without AppleCare+?
This is probably the first time I hear that I should buy AppleCare because of the display. It really is a new feature. So now, if you want this phone, prepare another $400, because if you break the display, it will cost you $1,000. My God, I can’t even believe it myself when I say it.
If you bought one today, check the hinge area carefully in the first days. You have a 14-day return window, and a defect from normal use should be covered by the one-year warranty.
Not another Bendgate
Will this be like Bendgate with the iPhone 6 Plus? Back then, Apple said only nine customers had contacted it about bent phones, and later quietly made the next model stronger. No, I don’t believe it will be like the iPhone 6. Right after the video with 10,000 openings, and how the place with the hinge looked, really wide and ugly, I don’t believe it will be like the 6.
Also on Evolt News: Apple passes Nvidia on iPhone Duo day · iPhone Duo reviews wear pink glasses
Photo: Apple.
This article is opinion.
iPhone Duo cracked screen: FAQ
Is the iPhone Duo screen cracking?
On launch day, several owners shared photos of iPhone Duo inner screens cracked along the hinge. One case from Australia was verified by Reddit moderators: the screen cracked after about six hours and fewer than 20 openings. It is not known how many units are affected.
Did Apple replace the cracked iPhone Duo?
Yes. According to the owner in Australia, an Apple Store apologized and replaced the iPhone Duo with a new one on the spot. Apple has not commented publicly.
How much does it cost to fix the iPhone Duo inner screen?
Replacing the inner display costs $999 without AppleCare+ and $99 with AppleCare+.
How much is AppleCare+ for iPhone Duo?
AppleCare+ for iPhone Duo costs $399 up front, $199.99 a year, or $19.99 a month.
Is a cracked iPhone Duo screen covered by warranty?
A defect from normal use should be covered by Apple’s one-year limited warranty. Accidental damage is not covered without AppleCare+. Buyers also have a 14-day return window.
Sources: MacRumors, The Verge, Mixed News, The Apple Post, PhoneArena, Dexerto, iPhone in Canada, TIME (via iClarified).
Our Take
The first iPhone Duo screens cracked along the hinge on launch day, one after six hours and fewer than 20 openings. Apple replaced it fast, but it is still silent, and a new inner screen costs $999.
For me, a $2,000 phone that needs $400 of insurance on day one is madness. I will not support it, and I don’t think this ends like Bendgate.
