Photos circulating online Friday show some iPhone Duos with distinctive-looking cracks in their folding screens. It’s too early to call it Crackgate, but the launch-day images might make some people nervous about shelling out $2,000 or more for Apple’s first folding phone.
Most of the pictures lack context. However, one user on Reddit posted an image of a screen that reportedly cracked after very little use.
iPhone Duo screen cracks: What’s the cause?
The iPhone Duo‘s hinge became a talking point well before the phone’s unveiling in September, with Apple reportedly going to great lengths to create an engineering masterpiece at the heart of its first foldable. The goal was to create a hinge that would hold up over time and also minimize the screen creases that plagued early folding phones.
In its press release announcing the device, Apple said, “iPhone Duo is built to last with an innovative hardware design and a precision hinge that offers a smooth, satisfying feel with every use.”
Nonetheless, images posted on X, Reddit and elsewhere Friday showed iPhone Duos with bizarrely cracked screens just hours after the foldable went on sale in Asia and Australia. The damaged devices all look similar. A crack follows the fold up the center of the device, with what looks like a line of damaged pixels teeing off from that toward the right edge of the screen.
“I’ve seen several iPhone Duos with damage in this exact same spot,” wrote Reddit user Bitter_Offer7123, who later posted more images of damaged iPhone Duos. (Reddit moderators tried to verify the post, but said, “Please treat the claim as unverified and avoid presenting it as either confirmed authentic or confirmed fake.”)
Similar photos showed up on X, showing iPhone Duos with the instantly noticeable damage on their 7.6-inch inner screens.
Some Chinese consumers experienced screen issues with the iPhone Duo on its first day of release. pic.twitter.com/CItmOG1im1
— Ice Universe (@UniverseIce) October 23, 2026
The iPhone Duo officially launched today, and we've already seen two reports of inner display failures.
That's definitely not a great sign for its durability.
Let's wait and see if more cases start popping up over the next few days. pic.twitter.com/kTuHd7edXp
— fenibook (@feni_book) October 23, 2026
Algunos usuarios han tenido la mala suerte de tener una grieta justo en el medio de la pantalla interna de su iPhone Duo después de solo unas horas de uso. #iPhoneDuo pic.twitter.com/duZW98dGzZ
— Ing. Jeffrey Umanzor (@jeff_umanzor) October 23, 2026
An iPhone Duo with a cracked screen after 20 folds?
The Australian Reddit user who said their iPhone Duo screen cracked after fewer than 20 folds explained how it happened. This account seems much more disturbing than a bunch of photos of damaged demo units.
“I was showing it to a friend, and as I opened it, I felt something around the internal hinge, underneath the screen,” wrote user Midnight_Slump. “As I continued opening it, I heard an audible crack, and the screen broke right along the hinge. There were no marks or damage on the inner screen’s surface or the external hinge to suggest anything had been caught or damaged.”
Obviously, these are just anecdotal reports, and it’s far too early to tell how widespread the problem is. And it’s impossible to know if this damage stems from mistreatment of demo devices, a bad batch of iPhone Duos or an engineering misstep.
Could the hinge be a problem?
A bad design seems like the least likely reason, since Apple spent so much time trying to perfect the hinge.
“The hinge is engineered from more than 100 components to precisely control opening and closing and support the center of the display, delivering a smooth, satisfying feel,” Apple said in its press release. “Internally, support ribs reinforce the structure for added stiffness, while antenna splits with ceramic fiber inserts enhance the frame’s rigidity.”
Plus, we’ve heard no such complaints from early iPhone reviewers. That includes one who used a machine to automatically fold the device thousands of times.
If the damage comes from mishandling the device, it raises questions about long-term durability. That would also provide yet another reason to pony up for AppleCare+ for the iPhone Duo.
Lewis Wallace is the managing editor of Cult of Mac and author of our weekly newsletter, The Weekender. He appears weekly on the Cult of Mac podcast. You can find him on X @lewiswallace.
