Apple’s first foldable iPhone has run into the problem that has followed almost every first-generation foldable: the screen. Within days of the iPhone Duo going on sale on 23 October, owners began posting photos of cracks and bright lines of dead pixels running along the inner display, right where the phone bends.
On Monday, Apple acknowledged an issue affecting the inner display on what it called a small number of units, and said customers who see problems should contact AppleCare for a replacement. The company did not say how many phones are affected or what is causing the fault, though it noted that affected units tend to show the problem quickly.
What owners are seeing
Reports surfaced over the weekend on Reddit, the MacRumors forums and other social platforms. One owner in Australia said his screen failed along the hinge after about six hours of use and fewer than 20 openings, with no outside damage. Apple staff replaced that device on the spot. Photos of damaged demo units in China have also circulated, although some of those may involve rough handling by shoppers.
Repair specialists iFixit built a 3D model of the hinge using teardown footage, patents and CT scans, and compared it with where the cracks appear. The damage seems to cluster just below a point where a display cable runs under the screen, near a central support bar. iFixit’s working theory is that the bar may not fully clear the screen’s path as the phone folds, creating a stress point. Apple has not responded to that analysis, so it remains a hypothesis rather than a confirmed cause.
The iPhone Duo opens like a passport booklet, and early demand was strong: initial online orders sold out within minutes, and analysts expect supply to stay tight because the device is difficult to manufacture. Ironically, iFixit also rated it the most repairable foldable it has tested. Apple has said hinge damage from normal use falls under its standard one-year limited warranty, alongside a 14-day return window.
What it means here
For buyers in Bangladesh, the practical risk is less about the defect and more about where the phone comes from. Foldables usually reach local shelves through grey-market imports long before any official channel, and a phone bought that way may not be easy to swap at an authorised service centre, particularly in the first weeks when replacement stock is scarce.
Anyone planning to buy an early unit should check the warranty terms in writing, open and close the phone several times before leaving the shop, and look closely along the fold for lines or uneven patches. Keeping the receipt and the original box will also matter if a claim is needed later.
The wider pattern is familiar. Samsung’s original Galaxy Fold went through a similar early stumble in 2019, and later generations improved sharply. Apple moving quickly to replace faulty units is a sensible first response, but cautious buyers may prefer to wait for the first round of fixes before paying a premium for version one.
