The excitement surrounding the launch of the iPhone Duo has been dampened by a wave of reports suggesting that Apple’s ambitious foray into foldables may have a critical design flaw. Within hours of hitting shelves last Friday, users began flooding social media with images of cracked inner screens and distracting vertical lines emanating from the device’s center. While Apple has officially acknowledged an issue and promised to replace affected units, the company remains vague about exactly how many devices are failing.
To find answers, experts at iFixit performed a detailed teardown of the hardware, uncovering a likely culprit hidden within the complex machinery of the hinge. Shahram Mokhtari, lead technician at iFixit, suggests that the flexible inner screen is inadvertently pressing against parts of the hinge mechanism during operation. Because these displays are incredibly sensitive, even minor pressure from internal components can cause permanent damage. According to Mokhtari, certain metal edges near the center support bar may not be dropping away quickly enough when the phone closes, creating high stress hot spots that eventually puncture or crack the glass.
This theory is supported by firsthand accounts from frustrated owners and tech reviewers alike. One user reported hearing an audible snap while demonstrating the phone to a friend, while YouTuber CuriousHagi captured similar failures during rigorous durability testing and discovered a snapped component connecting to the central bar. These incidents suggest that for some units, the precision required for such a complex folding motion is slightly off, leading to catastrophic structural failure under normal use.
Despite these alarms, Apple maintains that only a small percentage of devices are impacted. Mokhtari believes that some level of failure is inevitable given how delicate foldable technology currently is, but warns that continued reports over the next few months could force a full recall. For now, most users seem to be operating their devices without incident, though it seems almost certain that Apple will be forced to fundamentally redesign this hinge assembly before releasing a second generation of its foldable flagship.
