Barely released, the iPhone Duo is already showing signs of weakness

The iPhone Duo, Apple’s first smartphone with a foldable screen, has been available since Friday. Barely marketed, the device is already the subject of criticism on social networks. Several users report that their screen cracked after just a few uses. In most cases, a black line appears near the hinge.

An Australian user claims to have heard and felt a cracking sound just before the fault appeared, reports the technology magazine “Futurezone”. Other videos show devices whose screens stopped working shortly after purchase, sometimes before their owners even returned from the Apple Store.

The cause of the problem remains unknown at this time. A defective component could have been installed in the hinge of certain iPhone Duos, according to a hypothesis relayed by “9to5Mac”.

The iPhone Duo, sold in Switzerland from 2,000 €, was also subjected to the famous resistance test of the YouTube channel “JerryRigEverything”. Scratches, heavy pressure and other mistreatment have left several marks on the device.

Sand has also seeped into the hinge. “Such a quantity is only realistic if the phone falls into the sand during a beach vacation,” the “Golem” portal, however, qualifies. Once introduced into the mechanism, grains of sand and dust would be difficult to remove and could disrupt the closing of the smartphone.

According to “Futurezone”, the scale of the problem remains difficult to assess. The cases reported currently only concern a small part of the thousands of devices already delivered. Apple should replace defective smartphones. However, the situation could become more complicated for customers who purchased their device from a telephone operator. According to “9to5Mac”, available stocks may not be sufficient to allow immediate replacement.

Samsung experienced similar setbacks during the launch of its first Galaxy Fold in 2019. Shortly after sending the test devices, numerous photos and videos showing defective, flashing or completely out of service screens circulated on the internet.