Apple has acknowledged screen problems affecting a small number of its new iPhone Duo foldable handsets and is offering replacements as reports of cracked and malfunctioning displays emerge.
Apple has acknowledged screen problems affecting a small number of its new iPhone Duo handsets and is offering replacements, just days after the company’s first foldable iPhone went on sale.
The technology giant said it was aware of “an issue impacting the inner display on a small number” of devices and urged affected customers to contact Apple for a replacement.
Photos posted on social media appear to show lines developing across the screens, while some owners have reported cracks along the central crease and a crunching noise when opening the phone.
The extent of the problem remains unclear.
Apple has not said how many devices are affected, and some images circulating online may have been generated or altered using artificial intelligence.
Francisco Jeronimo, a technology analyst at market research firm IDC, said caution was needed before drawing conclusions about the wider production run.
However, he said the reports demonstrated that even Apple faced challenges with the complex engineering involved in producing foldable phones.
Jeronimo said: “Even a company with Apple’s engineering resources and supply chain discipline faces a steep learning curve in foldables.”
The Duo has a 7.6-inch (19.3 cm) internal display that folds around a central hinge.
Similar mechanisms have caused problems for rival manufacturers, including Samsung, whose first Galaxy Fold suffered screen failures after its 2019 launch.
Apple’s entry into the foldable market is significant because the company has spent years developing the technology while Android manufacturers have established a range of competing devices.
The Duo starts at £1,999 ($2,668) in the UK and costs up to £3,199 for the highest-specification model, making it the most expensive iPhone yet.
Jeronimo said Apple’s response to the early problems could influence confidence in foldable phones more broadly.
He said: “How it handles this first-generation issue will shape buyer confidence in the category well beyond its own sales.”
Apple’s retail network could allow affected customers to exchange faulty devices quickly, but Jeronimo said the company would need to clarify its warranty position as the phone launches in another 28 markets on October 30.
The Duo is Apple’s first major iPhone redesign in almost two decades.
When closed, it resembles a wider iPhone, while opening it reveals a display closer in size to a small tablet.
Apple chief executive John Ternus, who succeeded Tim Cook in September, said the company wanted the Duo to “redefine the experience of using a foldable phone”.
The early screen reports nevertheless represent an immediate test of that ambition.
Apple to replace iPhone Duo handsets that have developed screen problems
