The iPhone Duo is being returned, and it’s not just about the cracks

Published Nov 10, 2026, 1:00 PM EST Joe Fedewa has been writing about technology for over a decade. Android and the rest of the Google ecosystem have been a focus for years, as well as reviewing devices, hosting podcasts, filming videos, and writing tutorials. Joe loves all things technology and is also an avid DIYer and food blogger. He has written thousands of articles, hundreds of tutorials, and dozens of reviews. Before joining How-To Geek, Joe worked at XDA-Developers as Managing Editor and covered news from the Google ecosystem. He got his start in the industry covering Windows Phone on a small blog, and later moved to Phandroid where he covered Android news, reviewed devices, wrote tutorials, created YouTube videos, and hosted a podcast. From smartphones to Bluetooth earbuds to Z-Wave switches, Joe is interested in all kinds of technology. After several years of jailbreaking and heavily modifying an iPod Touch, he moved on to his first smartphone, the HTC DROID Eris. He's been hooked ever since. It’s no secret that the iPhone Duo launch has been plagued with issues. However, a nasty screen defect is far from the only reason why people are unhappy with Apple’s first foldable phone. The complaints go beyond the surface. The inner display cracking along the hinge has certainly dominated the conversation. It’s a serious problem (shades of the original Galaxy Fold), but it's hardly the only one. Scroll through subreddits and the MacRumors forums, and you'll find a long list of complaints that have nothing to do with the crease. The lack of familiar iPhone features Missing Face ID and foldable camera woes One of the most frequently cited complaints is the lack of Face ID. Apple swapped it for a Touch ID sensor in the power button, and a lot of people aren't happy about it. Owners report that it's slower and less reliable than what they're used to, especially with a screen protector or wet hands. When you’ve grown used to simply looking at your phone to unlock it, a fingerprint scanner feels slow and archaic. Then there's the camera. Android foldable owners are well aware that, despite the price tags, these devices never have the best cameras the company has to offer. iPhone Duo owners are finding out the same thing. Compared to the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, the Duo's camera system simply isn’t as good. People have noticed this in many ways, particularly in low light. When you're spending this much, you assume you’re getting the best of everything. It doesn't feel great to settle. Using a foldable phone isn’t for everyone Heavy, thick, and hard to hold The iPhone Duo has introduced a brand new group of people to foldables for the first time, and some of these people are finding out it’s not what they expected. Multiple users describe it as top-heavy, thick, and uncomfortable to use when closed. The outer display's aspect ratio is not the one-handed wonder many people had hoped it would be. Even when the inner screen hasn't cracked, the hinge is drawing complaints. People have reported creaking, crunching, and popping sounds, along with visible gaps and off-center rotation when folding and unfolding. People who have used foldable phones before are used to this sort of thing, but it’s unsettling to the uninitiated. Again, that’s not what you want from a device that costs as much as a laptop. The software isn't ready Apps that aren’t ready for all that screen The whole point of unfolding a phone is having a big, tablet-like display in your pocket. Apple took great pleasure in poking fun at Android’s poorly formatted apps on large displays, but iPhone Duo users are finding the exact same thing (or worse). While the situation improves every day, people still report apps launching with huge black bars on the sides and awkwardly scaled UI elements. The outer screen isn't off the hook, either. Early buyers say the side dock forces widgets to be awkwardly sized, and the side status bar takes up too much space in apps that haven’t adapted to it. This all leads back to the one-handed experience of a passport-shaped phone not being as good as it could be. Then there are the plain old bugs. Reviewers and owners have noted orientation lag, auto-rotate glitches, and app-switching problems when moving between folded and unfolded states. It’s been called the buggiest iPhone to ever launch, and that’s probably true without much competition. The price makes everything worse Zero compromises, except for all of these All of these complaints are completely justified. However, you expect a certain amount of issues with a first-gen product. The problem is, at a starting price near $2,000, it’s not fun feeling like a beta tester. People expected cool, bleeding-edge tech, but what they got was a phone riddled with trade-offs. Many people who returned the Duo went back to a standard iPhone and iPad combo. Also, I don’t want to gloss over the screen defects — they’re serious. Out-of-warranty inner display repairs can run up to $999, and even with AppleCare, hinge repairs could cost up to $1,500. No one wants to tack on another $1K to their $2K phone. It's still early, and I have no doubt Apple will iron out the software issues and learn from the first batch of returns. But for now, the iPhone Duo seems to be proving a familiar lesson: being first is exciting, but nobody wants to pay big bucks to be a guinea pig.