Overview
- Hours after the foldable’s launch, multiple first buyers posted photos and accounts showing fine horizontal and vertical cracks in the inner (folding) display close to the central hinge.
- iFixit’s teardown identifies a cable route and a movable hinge support where several parts converge and proposes that a stuck or mis-timed support could press on the thin inner screen and cause the fractures.
- Independent durability tests showed sand entering the hinge and, in some scenarios, hinge-related damage to the inner display, suggesting vulnerability to debris and concentrated hinge stress.
- Apple has not given a public technical explanation but has published a repair manual for the Duo through its Self-Service-Repair program and reportedly offered in-store replacements to some affected customers.
- Out-of-warranty inner-display replacement is expensive in markets such as Germany (about €1,149), AppleCare+ cuts the deductible to €99, and parts for self-repair are not yet widely sold, leaving buyers exposed until Apple clarifies the scope or issues a fix.