Apple responds to reports of the iPhone Duo's inner display cracking

Impacted users can contact AppleCare for a replacement.

By Lawrence Bonk
An iPhone Duo. Sam Rutherford for Engadget
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An unspecified number of iPhone Duo owners have complained that the inner display has already cracked along the hinge, according to reports by ArsTechnica and others. This is fairly troubling, given that the device has only been out three days.

Apple has responded to user complaints and provided Engadget with the following statement:

"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."

From what we understand, the issue affects only a small percentage of iPhone Duo units and the defect should show up pretty quickly once a user starts folding up their phone. So if you've made it through the first few days without an issue, you're hopefully in the clear.

The issue appears to be a defective inner hinge that can damage easily, leading to a series of bright lines along the midpoint of the display when unfolded. Some units also show dead pixels along the crease. Hinge issues are fairly common with foldables, though they don't typically appear so close to a new product's launch.

We can confirm that our review unit wasn't impacted. The same goes for a Duo that CNET got its hands on. The company has been testing hinge strength on a particular unit and, as of this writing, it has successfully completed more than 55,000 folds. 

Update, October 26, 2026, 3:58PM ET: This story has been updated with a full statement from Apple.

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