Overseas media report display damage cases
YouTuber test reveals hinge and inner display problems
High repair costs, short supply also draw fire
Apple's first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, has been mired in controversy since its launch. Reports of inner display damage have fueled growing durability concerns, while the device's steep repair costs and supply shortages have also drawn fire.
According to US tech outlet The Verge, buyers of the iPhone Duo posted numerous photos and videos online on Friday (local time) showing damage to the device's inner screen. Some cases showed damage around the hinge where the phone folds.
One user in Australia said the inner display broke roughly six hours after purchase, after opening the phone fewer than 20 times. The user said they felt something catch inside the hinge and heard a cracking sound while opening the screen. "There were no obvious signs of external impact," the user said, but the device was exchanged for a new one at an Apple Store.
Similar reports appeared on Reddit, with posts showing cracks near the hinge and bright lines on the display.
Tech outlets abroad have raised questions about the hinge design and display durability based on the pattern of damage appearing in similar locations. However, it has not been confirmed whether the cases share a common cause or point to a design flaw.
Similar issues emerged during tests by a prominent YouTuber. JerryRigEverything, a channel specializing in teardowns and durability tests, conducted scratch, heat, dust and bend tests on the iPhone Duo on Friday, finding problems with both the hinge and the inner display.
In the dust and sand exposure test, debris entered the hinge, preventing the device from closing fully. Particles that accumulated around the hinge also weakened the magnetic seal that holds the two halves shut.
In the bend test, applying force in the opposite direction of the phone's natural fold while the device was open produced a green line on the inner display. Repeated bending caused the line to spread, after which the inner screen stopped working entirely. The touch function also failed, rendering the display unusable.
The results have raised questions about how effectively the hinge and inner display are protected against external pressure and debris.
The device's repair costs and limited supply have also drawn criticism. Apple's official price for replacing the iPhone Duo's inner main display alone stands at 1.649 million won ($1,240). The AppleCare+ protection plan for the device costs 549,000 won — also a record high for any iPhone.
Critics have also argued that the iPhone Duo's scarcity stems not from overwhelming demand but from supply chain mismanagement and mass production failures. Bloomberg reported that Apple had known well in advance that manufacturing constraints would cause serious supply disruptions for the iPhone Duo, yet pushed ahead with the launch anyway.
According to Bank of America, the global average wait time for iPhone Duo delivery is 82 days.
ko@heraldcorp.com
