Apple says it will replace iPhone Duo handsets with screen problems

Apple has stepped in to replace faulty iPhone Duo handsets after a wave of early buyers reported cracked and failing inner screens just hours after the company's first foldable phone went on sale. Images shared across social media showed damage appearing at nearly identical locations along the crease of the device, raising questions about whether the problems stem from a design or manufacturing flaw.

The iPhone Duo, priced at $2,000, went on sale on October 23, 2026, to high demand — with initial stocks selling out rapidly and some delivery dates pushed into 2027. Reports of screen damage emerged first from buyers in China and Australia, given the time zone difference, before spreading to customers in other markets.

Apple acknowledged the issue in a statement, saying it was aware of a problem affecting the inner display on a small number of units. The company said customers experiencing difficulties should contact AppleCare for a replacement, and confirmed that damaged handsets are being sent to its engineering teams in California for examination.

At least one affected customer received an immediate swap at an Apple Store on the same day of purchase. A Reddit user reported that their screen cracked after the phone had been opened fewer than 20 times, describing hearing a crunching sound before a large crack formed along the centre crease.

The reported damage includes vertical cracks near the hinge, bright lines running across the display, and dead pixels. Repair analysis firm iFixit found that the reported damage appeared clustered just below a display cable running beneath the screen near a central support bar, suggesting the bar may not be moving fully clear of the display during folding.

Apple has set an out-of-warranty repair cost for the inner screen at $999. However, at least one US carrier, T-Mobile, told a customer it could not replace any components for the Duo until January, highlighting inventory constraints that could slow the replacement process for some buyers.

The scale of the problem remains uncertain. Professional reviewers, including Tim Pan and Joanna Stern, conducted stress tests involving thousands of folds without any cracking, suggesting the failures may be confined to a specific batch of units rather than reflecting a universal hardware weakness.

Apple enters the foldable market years after Samsung and Google established their own lineups, and the early screen reports place the company under pressure to demonstrate that its hardware can match the durability customers expect from its more conventional devices. The company has not disclosed how many units are affected or provided a timeline for resolving the underlying cause.