Broken iPhone Duo screens reported along the hinge

Apple’s iPhone Duo went on sale today, but some early units have already arrived with cracked screens. Reports on Reddit show damage in a similar location: a fault appears along the hinge on the inner display, accompanied by one or more bright lines on the right side.

One buyer in Australia wrote that the phone was about six hours old and had probably been opened fewer than 20 times. While showing it to a friend, they felt something under the display near the internal hinge, then heard a crack as they kept opening it and the screen split along the hinge. The buyer said the inner screen’s surface and the outside hinge showed no marks or damage that would suggest something was caught or damaged.

That buyer said Apple replaced the unit with a new one immediately at the store. A separate post included an image of another broken screen and a video of a third damaged device, and a different Reddit thread gathered additional photos of affected units. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Update, October 23, 2026

MacRumors reported Friday that complaints are also appearing in its own forums, not just Reddit. The publication said nearly all the display faults run along the hinge, and most include a line of bright pixels on one side of the screen. Apple is likely collecting defective iPhone Duos to examine the failure point, according to MacRumors; that work could lead to manufacturing changes, the outlet said. It also posted images of cracked screens from demo units in China, though it said the backstory for most is unknown and user damage is possible. Some reviewers performed folding tests and did not see screen problems, but MacRumors called that a small sample. It said hinge failures from ordinary use should be covered under the one-year warranty, and launch-day buyers have two weeks to return the phone.

Update, October 24, 2026

Mashable reported that the cracked hinge reports span several markets, with posts from the U.S., Australia and China. The Australian buyer said Apple's phone support first offered an express replacement but required a deposit for the full price of the phone and could not say when the replacement would arrive. The buyer then visited an Apple Store, where staff apologized and replaced the device on the spot, Mashable wrote. The outlet said that suggests Apple kept some spare iPhone Duo units in stores.

Mashable also listed other first-day complaints: reviewers disliked the FaceTime camera quality, many apps lack optimization for Apple's first foldable, and a new report says the hinge crease becomes more visible with repeated folding.

Update, October 24, 2026

Yahoo Tech reported that the cracked inner displays run from the top to the bottom of the screen along the entire hinge, and said the exact cause is still unclear. The publication also said it is unclear how widespread the defect is. Yahoo Tech described the pixel fault as a bright white line on the right side of the display and quoted the Australian buyer saying Apple's phone support wanted him to "put down a hold for the full cost of the phone".

Update, October 25, 2026

9to5Mac said it has seen about ten unique instances of the iPhone Duo inner-screen crack so far, and a couple of owners said the screen broke during initial setup. It reported that buyers who purchased from carriers have had less luck: one person was told they must have dropped the phone and would have to pay for repair. The outlet floated a working theory that a defective hinge component is slightly misaligned and pokes upward into the inner screen. Some on social media suggest not closing the phone by pressing the center of the display, but 9to5Mac said that advice may not matter and Apple has not given official folding guidance.

hi-Tech.ua reported that Ukrainian retailers have begun accepting pre-orders without upfront payment. Prices range from 133,999 UAH for 256 GB of storage to 213,999 UAH for 2 TB, with 512 GB and 1 TB in between, in Star White and Night Sky. The official Ukraine launch is October 30, but exact delivery dates depend on shipments, and some markets have seen certain models pushed to January 2027, according to the outlet.

Update, October 26, 2026

Apple said Monday that it is aware of an inner display issue on a small number of iPhone Duo units and will replace affected phones through AppleCare, according to statements reported by the Economic Times and The Asia Business Daily. "We are aware of an issue impacting the inner display on a small number of iPhone Duo units," Apple said. "If users experience issues with their iPhone Duo display, they should contact AppleCare for a replacement". Apple did not explain the cause of the damage or say whether it plans design changes.