Some iPhone Duo screens aren’t making it through day one

It’s October 23, and arguably the most-hyped smartphone of the year is finally starting to reach customers. Apple’s iPhone Duo is available starting today, and although supply is thin and delivery estimates unsightly, there’s a bigger reason that mars what should be a celebratory launch day.

Early iPhone Duo buyers are facing problems with the new foldable’s hinge, with some reporting that the phone’s inner screens cracked after a handful of folds and unfolds. That’s not what you want to see, especially if you’re dropping $2,000 on a device.

Early reports about the issue first started coming out of China and Australia. Considering that two countries are 12 to 19 hours ahead of the United States, it makes sense that they’d get their hands on the Duo first.

One of the detailed accounts comes from Redditor Midnight_Slump, who suggested that they had their new phone for roughly six hours and had opened it fewer than 20 times when the screen broke.

Had my iPhone Duo for about six hours and had probably opened it fewer than 20 times. I was showing it to a friend, and as I opened it, I felt something around the internal hinge, underneath the screen. As I continued opening it, I heard an audible crack, and the screen broke right along the hinge.

The user says they headed to the Apple Store and received a replacement on the spot, but were disappointed with the day-one hiccup. “Day zero, six hours of ownership, and already on my second phone,” they added.

Other reports suggest that this wasn’t really an isolated incident. Reddit user Bitter_Offer7123 compiled images from Chinese communities, highlighting damage in almost the same spot along the iPhone Duo’s crease:

It’s concerning that all the images show damage in almost the exact same spot. Seeing multiple devices fail with an identical issue should raise concerns about a potential design flaw. This, however, clearly isn’t a universal issue.

Reviews of the iPhone Duo from news outlets started going live earlier this week, and none we’ve seen have reported similar problems. YouTubers Tim Pan and Joanna Stern even put the foldable through grueling multi-fold tests, and although the screen (and hinge) did show signs of wear and tear after thousands of folds, it didn’t crack.

Could this be a case of a small batch of faulty units, or even just user error, rather than a broader design problem? Potentially yes, but it’s too early to tell. Expect a lot more similar issues to surface over the coming days as more people get their hands on the shiny $2,000 foldable.