iPhone Duo screen marks and cracks reported soon after launch, Apple admits fault
Photo: Collected
Users have complained of marks appearing on the screen of Apple’s foldable iPhone, the ‘iPhone Duo’. Apple has also acknowledged that the problem has occurred in some iPhone Duo units.
According to a report by The Guardian, the phone went on sale worldwide last Friday. Since then, complaints of marks and cracks on the screen have been pouring in on social media and Reddit. The phone starts at $1,999, or Tk 2,47,276 in Bangladeshi currency.
Experts, however, say there are not yet enough cases to tell whether Apple’s first foldable phone has any major problem.
Apple has confirmed the fault that has appeared on the screens of some devices. ‘We are aware that a small number of iPhone Duo units have experienced an issue with the inner screen. Any customer who finds a fault with their iPhone Duo’s screen should contact AppleCare to get it replaced,’ the company said.
A user in Australia wrote on Reddit that marks appeared on their phone within six hours of getting it. Posting photos, the user wrote, ‘I was showing the phone to a friend. As I opened it, I noticed a problem under the screen. A line of white light appeared along one side of the screen.’
The user added, ‘As I kept opening the phone, I heard a clear cracking sound. Then the screen broke.’
The user said the local Apple Store replaced the phone straight away. The Guardian, however, could not verify the claim.
Another user in Australia also reported hearing an ‘almost cracking sound’ from their phone, after which a similar fault appeared on that phone’s screen too.
A report by Bloomberg also said similar complaints had come from users in the United States and India. Apple believes the affected phones are showing the fault within a short time of use. But the company said feedback from early users had been ‘extremely positive’.
This is the most talked-about product launch under Apple’s new chief executive, John Ternus, who took over from Tim Cook last September. In Apple’s words, demand for the iPhone Duo has reached ‘extraordinary’ levels.
According to Taiwanese outlet Economic Daily, all units of the phone have sold out, and the next shipment is unlikely to arrive before January. Foxconn, Apple’s main device maker, is also headquartered in Taiwan.
According to Francisco Jeronimo, vice-president of data and analytics at tech research firm IDC, it is still too early to say how serious the screen problem is. ‘Incidents like this are quite common when a new product comes onto the market,’ he said.
Recalling Samsung’s similar problem in 2019, he said, ‘What matters now is how the company handles the situation. Samsung ran into trouble with the first Galaxy Fold in 2019. But that experience also showed that acting quickly and transparently can limit the damage to a new product category.’
‘Apple has said customers who have run into problems can ask for their phones to be replaced. That is the right first step,’ he added.
Ben Wood, chief analyst at research firm CCS, said he was taking a cautious view of the iPhone Duo’s screen problem. So far there was no evidence of a widespread problem with the phone, he said.
Background
According to an OPB report of 9 September, Apple unveiled the iPhone Duo that day, with sales set to begin on 23 October; the phone has a 5.4-inch outer screen and a 7.6-inch inner folding screen.
According to a MacTech report of 20 April, Apple announced John Ternus as chief executive from 1 September, with Tim Cook becoming executive chairman of the board.
At a glance
According to an NBC News report, in April 2019 Samsung postponed the planned US launch of its first foldable phone, the Galaxy Fold, after screens broke and bulged on at least four units given to reviewers.
Sources
Original report: Ajker Patrika
Background sources: OPB, 9 September 2026; MacTech, 20 April 2026; NBC News, April 2019
