The first batch of Apple’s first folding phone may already have some screen issues.
The iPhone Duo is a strong first foldable from the company, but multiple Reddit reports say the phone’s inner screen cracks when customers open the device. Some apparently happen very soon, like during device setup. (Others might be from influencers trying to break the thing, like YouTuber JerryRigEverything.) People are already calling this “crackgate.”
The issue affects a small number of units—most iPhone Duo models aren’t affected. If there is a problem, it crops up quite quickly after usage, not days after unboxing. (WIRED’s review unit hasn’t had any issues after more than two weeks of daily use.)
“The response to iPhone Duo from early users has been incredibly positive, and we are seeing exciting things from developers who are rapidly updating their apps to take advantage of its unique form factor,” an Apple spokesperson tells WIRED. “We are aware of an issue impacting the inner display on a small number of iPhone Duo units. If users experience issues with their iPhone Duo display, they should contact AppleCare for a replacement.”
This is familiar territory for foldable phones. A hinge means strain on the screen and the components inside. It’s also a place for dust to seep in and break the phone, as with Samsung’s original Galaxy Fold in 2019, forcing the company to pause sales and fix the issue. Some devices handle it better than others, and as the product category has grown, those issues have largely diminished. But fewer problems don’t mean easier fixes.
On Sunday, repair company iFixit released its teardown of the iPhone Duo, including a video detailing the specific parts inside and what to look out for if people need to fix their $1,999 phone one day—maybe sooner than they think.
The culprit behind the screen breaking hasn’t been officially verified yet, but iFixit has a theory. Along the hinge, a display cable passes across the center of the hinge. In iFixit’s stress test simulation, the center support bar along the hinge fails to get out of the way as the screen folds, making a stress point right in the middle of the screen that could be leading to those cracks.
The phone got a provisional repairability rating of 5/10, though that score may be updated to factor in how Apple supplies replacement parts. A 5/10 doesn’t sound great, but it’s actually the highest repair rating iFixit has given any foldable phone.
“The state of foldables today is one of the hardest engineering challenges across a number of disciplines out there in the market today,” iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens said at an event the day before Apple announced its folding phone in September. “It is the pinnacle of material engineering and materials science. It is ludicrously difficult to accomplish this.”
The iPhone Duo earned good marks on some repair fronts. The battery and back panels are straightforward to remove and replace. The outer trim comes off in one piece. The 5.4-inch front screen comes off easily enough. Disassembling the pieces and putting everything back together is doable too, since almost everything is secured with brackets and screws you can remove and reuse.