After the iPhone Duo launched on Friday, a number of owners reported that their internal screens cracked and broke on their own (top image via scary_duck23 on Reddit).
The affected units all seem to break in the same way. The screen breaks the centerline of the hinge, and a horizontal block of pixels on the screen are then stuck in bright white.
The extent of the problem remains unclear. We’ve seen about ten unique cases so far, and many are posting their (similar) experiences on the iPhone Duo subreddit.
The time it takes for the cracking to occur varies, but it obviously doesn’t take too long since customers have only been able to start unboxing the device since Friday morning. A few people even reported that theirs cracked during the first installation process.
From what we’ve seen so far, most buyers experiencing this issue have been able to return to the Apple Store and get a direct replacement for the device.
People who purchased from carriers may have had less luck, as carriers do not have immediate stock to offer a replacement. One person said they were told they must have dropped the phone to cause the damage and it was up to them to pay for the repair.
To explain why this is happening, there is a working theory that a batch of iPhone Duos has a faulty hinge component. The suggestion is that a piece of the hinge is slightly misaligned and is protruding upward onto the inner screen, causing the breakage.
Some on social media have suggested that users shouldn’t close the iPhone Duo by pressing the center of the interior screen, and this may be contributing to this problem. It is unclear whether this is actually relevant advice. Officially, Apple has not given any guidance on how users should handle the phone when folding and unfolding.
While these reports are concerning, it’s worth remembering that Apple has likely already shipped hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of units and only a small percentage of people have had their phones break. Hopefully, most people will be able to enjoy their new iPhone Duo without any issues. We’ve reached out to Apple for comment and will update if we receive a response.
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