Apple confirmed that there’s a problem with a small number of iPhone Duo units that causes the inner screen to spontaneously break just days after the launch of the foldable,
Replacement is covered by the handset’s own warranty.
iPhone Duo inner screen crack: Crackgate?
The iPhone Duo first reached customers on October 25, and within hours there were reports of units with distinctive-looking cracks following the fold of the inner display. The owners of the devices claimed they hadn’t dropped them. They hadn’t even used them very much.
It’s been the source of complaints on Reddit as well as social media, but also responses from many other iPhone Duo users that their device is fine.
The problem is real. Apple said it is “aware of an issue impacting the inner display on a small number of iPhone Duo units,” in a statement to Bloomberg.
Bloomberg also reports being told by Apple that devices that have the rare defect fail quickly. So units that have been used for several days without problem are apparently free of the defect.
At this point, it seems this is a smaller issue than the ones that affected some previous Apple handsets. Bendgate was so controversial because it caused every iPhone 6 and 6 Plus to be easily bendable. And Antennagate also affected every iPhone 4 model. That is apparently not the case with the iPhone Duo spontaneous screen crack.
Probably a hinge problem
Apple did not reveal the source of the problem… nor is it ever likely to. That’s opened the gates to speculation, much of it centering on the elaborate hinge required for any foldable.
The experts at iFixit are possibly the most likely to come up with the right answer. Shahram Mokhtari, the company’s lead teardown tech, said in a video published on Sunday:
“The fact that so many Duos are showing screen damage in the same spot, though, is worth investigating. Many of these damage reports describe folding or unfolding the phone, hearing a crunch and pushing past it.
“Right where the damage is happening, the hinge is shaped a little differently. One leaf of the hinge protrudes here, the center pivot, right below the gap in the hinge for the flex cable. I can feel it with my finger when I run it down the crease. Could that center bar be failing to sync while the phone is closing? There are lots of edges coinciding at this spot.
“In addition to the center pivot’s link plates, the accordion cable passes just above this point, and the camera side battery’s edge is nearby. Could that geometry concentrate stress on this spot in the hinge? Maybe. “
Watch iFixit’s video on the problem:
iPhone Duo repair covered by AppleCare
“If users experience issues with their iPhone Duo display, they should contact AppleCare for a replacement,” Apple told Bloomberg.
Even those not affected can take this as a reminder that a drop test shows that even a single fall to the ground can crack one of the handset’s screens. A case is highly recommended. Adding extra insurance with AppleCare+ also seems a reasonable precaution.
Ed Hardy has been writing full-time about tech for 26 years, and using it for much longer than that. His intro to Apple was a Macintosh SE/30 (which he still has), but now he uses a 13-inch iPad Pro as his primary computer.
That’s because he’s a “tablet first” type of guy. Rather than use a Macbook, he connects a keyboard case to the iPad. And instead of a desktop Mac, he connects his tablet to a 27-inch display and full-size keyboard. (So don’t try to tell him that everyone has to use a Mac to be productive.)
Before coming to Cult of Mac, Ed wrote for NotebookReview, TabletPCReview and Brighthand, as well as other sites.
