Apple acknowledges iPhone Duo inner-display issue amid early cracking complaints

Bloomberg said it verified the issue with more than half a dozen customers using photos of damaged phones or evidence of conversations with Apple support. Customers described a crunch while unfolding the phone, followed by a crack along the center crease; some reported a white patch or other malfunction on the right side of the display. The Duo, Apple’s first foldable phone, went on sale Oct. 23 and starts at $1,999, according to Bloomberg.

Tom Battle told Bloomberg his phone felt harder to unfold and that he could feel “a bump or loose piece under the display.” Jonathan King said the outer screen still worked but the inner screen had become unusable. Bloomberg reported that Justin Lokos and Jainam Shah received replacements, while a customer identified as Centrino31A was still waiting after a store had no replacement inventory.

Apple said most Duo units are not susceptible to the issue and that affected devices tend to show the defect quickly. Repair platform iFixit believes a piece of the hinge is failing and cracking the screen rather than the display panel itself, Bloomberg reported. That proposed cause has not been established. As of the initial publication of Bloomberg’s story, Apple employees reported no official guidance for stores or customer-service agents; a team was investigating, and engineers were seeking some affected devices for analysis.