The iPhone Duo Is 3 Days Old—And Screens Are Already Cracking

The iPhone Duo is, officially, a few days old. And as is often the case with these splashy first-generation form-factor launches, trouble already appears to be brewing. Similar reports have been hitting the internet ever since launch day, and they haven’t stopped coming. The story is roughly this: a bright-eyed, unsuspecting iPhone Duo buyer, after opening or closing their groundbreaking and wildly expensive device, hears an audible crack. Next thing they know, their once beautiful display has gone haywire: one line extending down the crease and another, perpendicular, across the display. The problem appears serious and could even escalate into a recall. https://t.co/sfsiMOkAUK pic.twitter.com/LuGuEZpfPL — Ice Universe (@UniverseIce) October 25, 2026 This happened to one poor Reddit user in Australia just six hours after they purchased the phone, when they had reportedly opened it fewer than 20 times. The stories are coming from all over the place. Another, in Texas, reports not even having made it through setup before the same thing happened. (Both got replacements on the spot.) One poor sap appears to be holding a damaged handset right as they drive away from the Apple Store. Buyers in China are reporting the same event; one even posted an after-sales service slip to corroborate his account after X users accused him of faking the damage for clicks. Tech leakers appear to have aggregated at least 20 reported instances of this event so far. Gizmodo has reached out to Apple and received this official statement (emphasis ours): “The response to iPhone Duo from early users has been incredibly positive, and we are seeing exciting things from developers who are rapidly updating their apps to take advantage of its unique form factor. We are aware of an issue impacting the inner display on a small number of iPhone Duo units. If users experience issues with their iPhone Duo display, they should contact AppleCare for a replacement.” It’s anybody’s guess just how “small” the issue really is. It’s also worth noting that there are many AI-generated images of cracked iPhone Duos being shared online. Some people are even loading wallpapers with fake cracked lines onto their iPhone Duo to spread disinformation. We can’t say for sure whether these individual reports indicate a broader issue with the iPhone Duo’s construction or if it’s really just a defective batch. Well, we can’t, but iFixit might be able to. The publication has completed its long-awaited teardown of Apple’s first foldable, and a few notable findings have emerged. The first, in case you were curious, is that the iPhone Duo is apparently the most repairable foldable ever to grace their desk. But the second and more pertinent one is that this apparent epidemic of failing screens could be a symptom of the device’s construction. iFixit simulated the device’s hinge (using “teardown footage, patents, and CT scans”—science is truly a marvel) and found a possible explanation. There’s a video on the teardown page, as well as an interactive CT scan that you can spin around and zoom in on and stuff. © Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo The video is a bit difficult for my not-at-all-visual brain to grok, but here’s my understanding of iFixit’s hypothesis. Imagine you fold a sheet of paper in half but don’t crease it—just hold the edges together so that the bottom stays rounded. You’ll notice that the sheet of paper is essentially teardrop-shaped; the curved bottom is wider than the top. This is how the iPhone Duo is supposed to work: foldable phone screens can’t fold too sharply without taking damage, so they curve gently instead. Here’s the problem: along the iPhone Duo’s hinge, beneath its flexible screen, lies a support bar. This bar, when the device is fully flat, enables the screen to withstand the pressure of your fingers’ pressing and tapping and scrolling and such. When you fold the phone up, said bar needs to shift downward as the curved screen bulges. If it doesn’t move far enough… well, imagine our curved piece of paper being lowered directly onto someone’s bony finger. It’s going to dent a bit. Analysis of possible screen damage caused by iPhone Duo hinge failure The iPhone Duo hinge assembly consists of 5 groups: 2 on the upper section and 3 on the lower section. A carbon fiber liner supports the back of the display on the screen side. After disassembly, and… pic.twitter.com/dUVESTPoN8 — 有没有搞措 (@L0vetodream) October 26, 2026 It’s important to bear in mind that this is iFixit’s hypothesis, but not a confirmed cause of the screen damage we’re hearing about. In fact, we can’t even be sure how widespread that damage really is without an official explanation from Apple. Nevertheless, the number of online complaints, especially this soon after purchase, is cause for concern. Because if these issues turn out to be symptoms of a design flaw rather than defects in a faulty batch, prompt replacements won’t be enough. In the meantime, if such a crack appears on your unit, go ahead and make it look like a lightsaber until you can make it to the Apple Store. Raymond Wong contributed to this report.