The iPhone Duo, one of Apple’s biggest new products in years, is drawing a growing number of complaints from customers who say the foldable display cracked after just hours or days of use.
asserted
display → draw → use
In these cases, customers reported hearing a crunching sound when unfolding the phone, followed by a large crack forming along the centre crease.
asserted
customers → report → crease
Some users also experienced a white patch or other display malfunction on the right side of the screen.
asserted
users → experience → screen
Reports of the problem first surfaced on Reddit and other social media sites.
asserted
Reports → surface → Reddit
Bloomberg News has since independently verified the issue with more than half a dozen customers, who provided photos showing damage to their devices or evidence of their support conversations with Apple.
asserted
who → verify → Apple
Apple acknowledged the issue in a statement, saying it was “aware of an issue impacting the inner display on a small number of iPhone Duo units”.
asserted
it → acknowledge → units
“If users experience issues with their iPhone Duo display, they should contact AppleCare for a replacement,” the California-based company said.
asserted
company → experience → replacement
Most Duos aren’t affected by the problem, and the units that are impacted exhibit the defect quickly, Apple said.
asserted
Apple → affect → defect
“I went to unfold it, and it felt stuck/harder/slower to open than usual.
asserted
it → go → it
And when I opened it, it had the lines on the screen,” Tom Battle, an Apple customer from San Diego said.
asserted
Battle → open → Diego
“You could feel a bump or loose piece under the display.”
uncertain
You → feel → display
Venture capitalist Jonathan King had a similar experience, saying he heard a crunch-like sound when opening his device on Monday.
“I had all intent to post a positive review of my Duo experience today, until it happened to me,” King said.
asserted
King → have → me
“The smaller outer screen works just fine, but the inner screen is now unusable,” he said, adding that the device thinks he is touching the inner screen when he is not.
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he → work → screen
While the problem appears to affect only a subset of units, it represents an embarrassing setback for Apple, which spent more than a decade developing the device and touted its superior durability, hinge design and display technology.
asserted
which → appear → durability
The Duo, which went on sale on Friday, represents the company’s first foray into foldable phones – and the biggest-ever design change to the iPhone, Apple’s largest source of revenue.
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which → go → revenue
Like other foldable phones, the device has a smaller screen on its outer surface and can be opened to reveal a larger display.
asserted
device → have → display
‘Even a company with Apple’s engineering resources and supply chain discipline faces a steep learning curve in foldables.’IDC analyst Francisco Jeronimo
asserted
company → face → Jeronimo
Chief executive officer John Ternus previously dismissed competing Android foldables as “cheap and crappy”, while the company’s head of hardware engineering, Tom Marieb, encouraged customers to hold Apple “accountable” for the screen crease’s durability.
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Apple → dismiss → durability
During the phone’s development, Apple worked to reduce the visibility of the crease in the middle of the opened display — a problem that has plagued previous foldables.
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that → work → foldables
Bloomberg didn’t encounter the issue on one review unit provided by Apple or another device purchased independently.
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Bloomberg → encounter → Apple
“I was reading Apple News and decided to open the display to enjoy it, and that’s when I saw the crack line and bruising,” a user who goes by Centrino31A told Bloomberg.
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who → read → Bloomberg
The issue is the underlying display.”
asserted
issue → underlie → ?
The customer said his local Apple retail store in Richmond, Virginia, called the issue a defect that required a replacement, but the location had no Genius Bar customer-support appointments available.
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appointments → say → replacement
Apple then sent him to another store, which conducted testing to confirm there was no accidental damage.
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which → send → testing
But that location had no inventory, so he is still waiting for a replacement.
asserted
he → have → replacement
Centrino31A said he understands that first-generation devices can have unexpected issues, but that it was “extremely frustrating” that stores didn’t have separate inventory for addressing manufacturing problems, particularly for a device that starts at $US1999 ($2844).
asserted
that → say → US1999
In all cases, users said they felt a bump under the display near where the crack started.
asserted
crack → say → display
Repair platform iFixit, which disassembles products to study their components, said it believes the issue is caused by a piece of the hinge failing and cracking the screen, rather than a problem with the display panel itself.
asserted
piece → disassemble → panel
The company has faced issues with new iPhone hardware in the past, including the iPhone 6 Plus in 2014, which would bend easily, and the iPhone 4 in 2010, which sometimes lost reception when users touched the antenna cutout around the device.
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users → face → device
In both cases, the company emerged from the problems relatively unscathed.
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company → emerge → problems
The latest difficulties show that “even a company with Apple’s engineering resources and supply chain discipline faces a steep learning curve in foldables,” according to IDC analyst Francisco Jeronimo.
uncertain
company → show → Jeronimo
Samsung, which pioneered the foldable field, also had problems with its first Galaxy Fold in 2019, Jeronimo noted.
asserted
Jeronimo → pioneer → 2019
“It also showed that a fast and transparent response can contain the damage to a category,” he said, adding that Apple’s move on Monday to send users to customer care is “the right first step.”
asserted
move → show → care
Vishnu Rajkumar, an Apple customer who said he has used previous foldable phones from OnePlus and Samsung, also experienced the Duo issue.
asserted
he → say → issue
“I was setting up my apps and wanted to check how Outlook works in the wider inner screen,” he said.
asserted
he → set → screen
“I tried opening the screen and found an unusual tightness.”
asserted
I → try → tightness
After applying a bit more pressure, “the screen started bleeding,” he said.
asserted
he → apply → pressure
“Initially, the line was small, and it increased further after multiple folds.”
asserted
it → increase → folds
Rajkumar, who lives in Chennai, India, was able to locate a replacement device at an authorised reseller and said that model hasn’t had any issues during his first 24 hours of use.
asserted
model → live → use
Another user, Surya Mangi of Allen, Texas, said the inner screen cracked after about 30 hours of ownership during normal opening of the display.
asserted
screen → say → display
…and 16 more, not listed.
The Aporia
