Overview
- Buyers began reporting inner‑display cracks, bright or dead pixel lines and audible pops along the central hinge within days after the phone hit stores on Oct. 23.
- iFixit's teardown and 3D hinge model found damage clustered where the flex cable crosses the hinge and where a central support bar and nearby edges change how the thin display is supported.
- In a fluorescent dust test iFixit ran, some particles reached the hinge and made it 'crunch,' suggesting foreign particles could snag the mechanism and increase stress on the folding panel.
- Apple says the problem affects a 'small number' of units and is replacing affected phones under AppleCare, while its published out‑of‑warranty inner‑screen repair price is $999.
- iFixit gave the Duo a provisional 5/10 repairability score, noting the phone is easier than other foldables to service in some areas but that inner‑screen and hinge repairs remain delicate, slow and likely constrained by limited spare parts and initial supply.