This exact component seems to be what is breaking, pushing on the screen when opened, and cracking the screen.

Neither are my photos. One is from google image search and the other is Apples official image of the hinge. I just overlayed to see wtf is going on.

Collected my iPhone Duo Pre-order yesterday and less than 24 hours later, the inner display cracked, felt a little bit of resistance, then, almost a cracking noise and now there’s a massive line through the display genuinely so distressed, literally what do I do?

UPDATE: just got back from the Apple Store and they explained they currently don’t have replacement models for the 1TB and 2TB in either colour. They have ordered one it but can’t guarantee when it will come. Not sure if this is all worldwide stores or just Australian stores. My alternative option was to contact the online store and ship this one in, but again no grantee when I would be able to get a replacement.

I picked up my iPhone Duo yesterday morning from the Apple Store. When I got home and got everything transferred from my iPhone 17 pro max, play with it for a bit, charged it to 85%, and as I was adding/verifying my credit card to apple wallet it just died.

There is still 80% ish battery when it died. I have tried to restart it but it won’t restart. I try to force restart it by pressing volume up, down, and holding the power button till the Apple logo pops up but nothing happens. Put it on the charger and it won’t charge.

There’s no physical damage I’ve been very careful.

Only had it in my hand for about 5 hours.
I have to call AT&T to get my phone number transferred back to my old phone because the duo is dead. I’m going to the Apple Store to hopefully get a replacement today.

😭

Edit. Went to the Apple Store, they did some test and charged it but the device still won’t turn on. They don’t know / won’t tell me what is wrong with it. I received a replacement duo.

Well, I thought I was one of the lucky ones, but after a weekend of worry free Duo’ing, I took it out of my pocket and the screens were dead. Funny, last I checked I still had about 30% battery Remaining. Then I noticed a chemical burning smell, and it seems to be emanating from the hinge. Tried briefly charging it, the hinge gets warm but no power. Yeah, this thing’s not staying indoors tonight. Also noticed this new mark in the center of the crease. Maybe something in the hinge popped and punctured a battery? Earliest Genius Bar appointment near me is Wednesday but I’m walking in first thing in the morning tomorrow to try to initiate an exchange.

Disclaimer: I’m not an Apple hater, and I’m not trying to blow this out of proportion. I just think this is something worth paying attention to.

Since my earlier post got quite a bit of attention, here are the several cases I was referring to.

This issue has already sparked quite a bit of discussion among Chinese users. Maybe it’s simply because foldables are more popular in China, meaning there’s a larger user base and more reported cases.

What’s concerning is that all these devices show display damage in almost the exact same spot, right along the crease.

Of course, I’m not saying every iPhone Duo will develop this issue. But seeing multiple devices fail in such a similar way does raise questions about a potential design flaw.

The good news is that, from what I’ve seen, Apple has been offering replacements for the affected devices.
Still, I really hope Apple investigates what’s causing this. Hopefully it’s limited to a small number of units rather than a broader design issue.

*EDIT
Just a quick clarification since there's been a lot of speculation in the comments.

I'm honestly surprised to see people calling me a bot, accusing me of posting AI images and spreading propagand, or even claiming I was sent by China to make Apple look bad?? I really didn't expect this many conspiracy theories lol...

I've made my profile public. Anyone who looks can see I've been an Apple enthusiast for years. Most of my devices and my entire smart home setup are Apple-based, and I'm actually considering getting an iPhone Duo to replace my iPad.

The reason these reports are coming from China is pretty simple: the phone went on sale there roughly 12 hours earlier. I came across these cases in Chinese communities and wanted to share them with a wider audience.

One important update: the owner of the phone in the second photo claims the display failed while he was still at the carrier store. He had just tried out the phone and was walking toward the store's exit when the screen suddenly failed during a normal unfolding motion. The carrier directed him to Apple, but according to the owner, the Genius Bar at Apple's Shanghai Wujiaochang store classified it as user-induced damage and refused warranty coverage.

Genuinely hope Apple investigates these cases and provides fair solutions for affected customers. I want the Duo to succeed just as much as anyone else here.

Just came across this video showing what appears to be a physical bump near the hinge, visible even when the screen is off.

What’s interesting is that the bump seems to be in almost the exact same location where several of the previously reported display failures occurred.

Could something underneath the display be putting pressure on the panel when the phone is unfolded?

*For what it's worth, my previous Z Fold4 actually had something similar, with multiple bumps along the center of the crease rather than just one. However, they never caused any issues during normal use.

This is a PSA to single men (and maybe a warning to married ones), the iPhone Duo will get you a ridiculous amount of attention from women.

Earlier today, my wife and I had just finished up our weekly grocery run and I decided we would stop by our local bakery (Panera Bread) to pick up a loaf for the week (I personally can’t stand cheap grocery store bread). As I approached the drive through window, the young lady told me the total (nothing I couldn’t comfortably afford) and I asked if they had tap to pay. She said yes, but I would need to hand her my phone. I double-clicked the side button, authenticated with TouchID for my AMEX Platinum, and handed her my iPhone Duo. She reached out towards my car and cradled the phone in her hands like a newborn baby.

As she reproached the window, she smiled, and giddy with eyes bright she said “wow, I have NEVER seen a phone like that before.” I chuckled, smirked, and responded, “It’s the brand new iPhone Duo. 1 terabyte. White.” Her jaw nearly dropped to the floor. I rolled up the window to my Model Y performance and drove away.

My wife was unusually quiet for the remainder of the drive. I can only imagine what was going through her mind.

This is just one example of many encounters that I’ve had within the past 36 hours with the iPhone Duo. If you’re looking for a phone that’s a straight-up panty dropper (I’m not, I’m married), look no further.

I noticed 2 days ago the hinge is protruding. Didn’t think much of it but it seems to have gotten a tiny bit worse. Either way I spoke to Apple Support who asked me a bunch of irrelevant questions like “do I use it in a case? How do I hold the device?” Etc.
They gave me 2 options, go to the store and get a replacement (confirmed that they may or may not have stock and they don’t know). Option 2, an AppleCare + claim for $99 and obviously the full amount held on my card. I asked why this is the case it’s not accidental damage and he had no idea just said that’s a good point. I’m not paying $99 more to get a device that possibly might have the same issue. Makes no sense.

Such a great device but crippled. I usually don’t care and these things don’t bother me a whole lot, but spending $2k to wait for it to break or pay $99 more for a replacement with no fix guaranteed is a wild experience.

To those claiming it’s a small handful of devices don’t forget it’s literally week one of release and there are a good amount of issues. We still have many many more people waiting for their devices to deliver.

Update: The retail store told me to bring it back if/when the display cracks as it’s “cosmetic” at the moment. Waste of time I’ll be returning it.

https://x.com/BenGeskin/status/2112432393281786013?s=20

The Fedex box didn't seem tampered, nice of them to leave the protective covers in the box. All I can do is curse whoever did this and hope they will have have cracked screen duo number #4259.

Not sure what to do now, I'm on hold with Best Buy customer support. I'll have to call Apple and report it stolen as well. Any other suggestions?

I guess some units have assembly defect at that area, which makes display pushed out / pinched and eventually break.

My iPhone Duo screen gave out on me last night. I was one of the “small number” or people who are experiencing this according to Apple. I know they’ve acknowledged it I just hope they treat me right when it’s time to get me a new phone.

And my phone is fine.

This thing has been amazing. This is just a reminder that users who don’t experience issues like we’re seeing won’t post about it. Don’t let the other posts get to you and keep you from enjoying this is an amazing device.

Yes it does have some shortcomings but what device doesn’t? The Duo has grabbed 40% of the foldable market share just with this launch. Something Android manufacturers couldn’t do in 7 years LMAO.

Almost hit 24 hours. I opened it, was looking for an app, and this patch of dead pixels appeared about 1-2 seconds after it was fully opened.
Apple is sending me a replacement, but no tracking number yet.

I've seen people crying about how the Z Fold was so much better at dust, but are we going to pretend that the phones were exposed to the same amount of torture? He obviously put 3x the sand on the Duo here. zack's test is obviously very different here; he used super-tiny particles on the Z Fold

A handful of sand vs. a pinch

As someone who has owned over 10 foldables, I thought this quick video would help some with their anxiety.

Never close the Duo, or any foldable, by pressing down on the display with your thumb or fingers. Specifically, never press down on the center of the display where it folds, even though it feels natural to do it that way.

Since you need some leverage folding it, always push on the outer case of the device, never push on the screen itself. At no point am I putting pressure on the display itself.

Some of you who have experience with foldables may say that you’ve never had a problem with your past foldables. Cool. I’m just telling you what every OEM that makes foldable phones has been saying since the first ones came out 7+ years ago.

Posting to see if any other Duo owners experienced this. Picked up my Duo in store on launch day, October build date on batteries. No drops, apple folio case, easily 200+ folds since and former Fold6 user. Last night I was using my phone normally, went to open it and it opened slightly then got stuck. Literally stuck — I could feel that I’d have to force it open. I YOLO’d it and pushed past, heard a loud pop, and it opened fine. No cracked screen. No bulges. Hasn’t happened since, and easily another 100 folds just testing it. Don’t want to take it to the Apple Store since I can’t reproduce it again, but just wondering if anyone else has experienced this.

While half folded, the internal components are getting exposed. The reason why "cheap foldables" have put a circular cap instead to prevent it.

Another design flaw.......

Apple is reportedly set to only produce 6 million units of the iPhone Duo due to production line woes. If this is true then China alone will buy of all that stock, the fact that the 18 Pro series sold 7 million in the first week.

Credit - 'theweekendwatch' on threads

Out of all the case options I was contemplating I definitely purchased the wrong one.

This should not be an issue on a $100 case.

Plus the front frame is absolutely terrible. Covers some of the top speaker and bows down by the usbc port because they don’t use adhesive.

Looks like it’s time to return this and get something that uses adhesive

Have owned the phone since release day, seen all the other issues people have been having with the hinge. (So far no hinge issues)

I was using my phone to see some YT while cooking my second steak ever. The phone was probably ~2 feet away from the pan.

After finishing, I noticed there was ~5 tiny tiny specs of grease on the inner screen. I tried wiping it with my hand and noticed it “smeared”, after trying a bit more forcefully I noticed that those parts of the screen felt smooth, almost as if the grease ate through or peeled those parts.

Worst part is if I try to rub those areas it continues expanding.

Will probably take to apple to get opinion, but found it weird that if it was the grease, apple didn’t think people would put their grimes hands while eating?

Edit 1: I have tried isopropyl alcohol with a microfiber towel, and although it cleared it a bit, the spots in the pictures remain, I can feel the matte to smooth change when I slide my finger

TL;DR:Me cook steak, tiny grease spots hit phone screen, me wipe, screen coating go bye-bye and spots get bigger.
Me confused why expensive phone no survive greasy fingers.

This launch felt different, I could see the buzz, the excitement, and the hype gaining steam on social media. This is essentially indeed a selling out, at least for readily available units within the next 2-3 months. I count that as a sell out.

Checked my order status again tonight, and suddenly the delivery window changed to November 16–23!

Order is currently processing, so I’m hoping it moves up even further. Curious if anyone else who ordered the Duo has experienced a significant change in their estimated delivery date? Are Apple’s initial estimates just extremely conservative, or is inventory catching up faster than expected?