The iPhone Duo's screen repair costs make Samsung foldables look like a bargain

Spending $1,999 on a foldable phone is already a pretty big financial commitment, and one you might make before considering the cost of keeping it in one piece. With the iPhone Duo launching later this month, Apple has now revealed how much it’ll cost to repair its first foldable without AppleCare Plus, and you might want to be sitting down for some of the figures.

As spotted by MacRumors, Apple’s official repair estimates show that replacing a damaged inner display on the iPhone Duo will set you back a whopping $999. That’s almost half the cost of the phone itself, while the catch-all category of “other damage” carries an even more painful $1,499 fee.

Not every repair is quite so eye-watering. Replacing the outer display costs $379, while battery service and rear camera repairs are both priced at $229. A damaged back glass panel will cost $199 to fix, and Apple charges just $49 to replace the removable cover layer above the inner display, assuming the screen itself is undamaged.

These prices look especially steep when compared to Samsung’s foldables. According to the company’s US repair pricing page, fixing the inner screen on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 costs $419, rising to $479 for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. Even the more extensive screen module replacements, which include other connected components, cost $579 and $639, respectively. In other words, repairing the Z Fold 8 screen costs less than half as much as its Apple counterpart.

Even for the triple-panel Galaxy Z TriFold, Samsung offers a first inner-screen repair for $699.50. In this case, that’s a promotional price for the first repair only, but it’s still a hefty saving compared to getting the iPhone Duo’s inner screen fixed for the first time.

Of course, AppleCare Plus changes the equation considerably. Coverage for the iPhone Duo costs $19.99 per month, $199.99 annually, or $399 upfront. With it, inner display repairs and other accidental damage cost just $99, while replacing the outer display costs $29. It’s not cheap, but given the repair costs without AppleCare Plus, you’ll be glad you added the coverage if the worst happens to your $2,000 device.