After day-one screen failures, the iPhone Duo is facing more durability questions

Apple’s first foldable iPhone has barely left the building, but it’s already facing durability questions after reports of early screen failures. Two separate tests from JerryRigEverything and iFixit have highlighted potential weaknesses around the phone’s inner display and hinge, although neither could establish the exact cause of the reported screen failures.

In his durability test, JerryRigEverything found that the iPhone Duo‘s flexible inner display scratched at level two on the Mohs hardness scale, with deeper grooves appearing at level three. Apple’s matte nano-texture finish helps hide scratches when the display is illuminated, but the marks remain permanent.

The more concerning issue appeared during the bending test. While the phone’s body remained intact initially, its inner display developed a permanent green line extending from the center toward the titanium frame. Further bending produced additional lines, eventually making the iPhone Duo’s display unresponsive.

The test suggests that the phone’s body can flex enough to damage its inner screen, though it doesn’t really clarify whether the cause is insufficient hinge rigidity, debris, or another design weakness.

That said, the iPhone Duo isn’t alone in its durability issues. The Pixel 11 Pro Fold suffered structural damage during a similar bend test, while the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra’s inner display failed. The standard Galaxy Z Fold 8 fared better, surviving the bend test, although dust did affect the hinges of tested foldables.

iFixit identifies a possible hinge weak spot

iFixit examined reports from owners who heard a noise while opening or closing their phones before discovering lines across the display. Some reported damage within hours of purchase.

Using teardown footage, patents, and CT scans, iFixit built a 3D model of the hinge and compared it with reported damage locations. The team found that failures appeared to cluster near the transition between the display’s flex-cable gap and the hinge’s central support.

iFixit also simulated a scenario in which the central support bar fails to drop far enough, potentially creating a stress spot where the display bends. However, this very much remains a hypothesis, not a confirmed explanation for the display failures.

Overall, both tests highlighted the iPhone Duo’s hinge’s vulnerability to debris. JerryRigEverything found that dust and sand could prevent the phone from closing fully, with particles inside the hinge overpowering the magnets that normally hold the device shut.

iFixit also found that fluorescent powder could reach the moving hinge components, causing crunching. The team stressed that this was not a formal IP-resistance test, but the findings suggest debris could affect how the phone’s hinge works.

That being said, iFixit awarded the iPhone Duo a provisional repairability score of 5 out of 10, the highest it has given a foldable. Its batteries are relatively easy to remove, and several components are accessible without extensive disassembly.

However, replacing the inner display costs $999 without coverage. Apple’s replaceable nano-texture cover layer costs $49 without AppleCare+ coverage.

So while it’s too soon to say that the iPhone Duo has a widespread design flaw, early screen failures and the durability tests definitely raise some questions about its hinge and inner display. More testing and having folks use the device for a few months will be needed to determine whether these are isolated incidents or a broader issue with the device.