Apple Will Replace iPhone Duo Units With Screen Faults
Apple has acknowledged that some of its new folding phones have display problems and said it will replace the affected units, days after the iPhone Duo went on sale. The company said the faults tend to appear quickly. It did not say what causes them, and the offer covers units that show the fault rather than the model as a whole.
Apple started shipping the device last week, with customers around the world queueing for tight inventory after initial online orders sold out in minutes. The handset went on sale in several markets at once, and Apple has not given unit figures for the launch. Analysts have said Apple is likely to face supply constraints, because the iPhone Duo unfolds like a passport booklet and is complex to manufacture.
Over the weekend, social media posts showed the phone with cracks and lines in the inner display along the central hinge where it folds. And the complaints multiplied over the weekend. Apple confirmed the issue after those posts circulated.
"We are aware of an issue impacting the inner display on a small number of iPhone Duo units," Apple said in a statement. "If users experience issues with their iPhone Duo display, they should contact AppleCare for a replacement."
But the cause is still open. Apple declined to comment on what might be behind the failures. The repair specialist iFixit has offered an explanation, using teardown footage, patents and CT scans to build a 3D simulation of the hinge, which it compared with the reported damage locations.
And iFixit said the damage clustered just below where a display cable runs under the screen near a central support bar. That bar may be failing to drop out of the screen's way as the phone folds, the company said, creating a small stress hotspot near the reported break. Apple did not immediately comment on those findings.
The company has also not said how many units are affected.
The same teardown concluded that the iPhone Duo is the most repairable folding phone iFixit has tested. iFixit's verdict rests on its own teardown rather than on any assessment from Apple. That is a rare piece of good news for a launch that has otherwise been defined by tight supply and, now, by questions about build quality.
But Francisco Jeronimo, a vice president at the research firm IDC, said the quick replacement offer was the right first step. He pointed to Samsung's experience with the original Galaxy Fold, which ran into display problems soon after its launch.
But the precedent cuts both ways. "We all remember when Samsung experienced problems with the original Galaxy Fold in 2019, but it also showed that a fast and transparent response can contain the damage to a category," Jeronimo said.
The comparison matters for Apple because the folding category is still young. A drawn out dispute over faults would damage the premium positioning that justifies the price of a device in this class. A replacement programme that moves quickly, by contrast, keeps the argument on the product rather than on the company's response.
Apple will replace iPhone Duo units that show inner display faults
Affected handsets tend to fail soon after purchase, and Apple has not explained the cause
iFixit traced the damage to a support bar near a display cable at the hinge
IDC called the replacement offer the right first step, citing Samsung's Galaxy Fold response
iFixit also rated the iPhone Duo the most repairable folding phone it has tested
Source: Reuters
