Apple customers have reported cracks, dead pixels and lines appearing on the screen of the £2,000 foldable iPhone Duo within hours or days of purchase, prompting complaints about what some users have dubbed “crackgate”.
Dozens of owners have shared photographs of apparently similar damage on social media. In many cases, a crack appears to run along the phone’s central crease, with a chipped section and a bright line of dead pixels extending across the right-hand display.
Several customers said they felt unusual stiffness in the hinge before hearing an audible pop as the screen broke.
One Reddit user claimed the damage occurred three hours after buying the phone, after opening it fewer than 20 times. Another said the device broke while being shown to a friend after about six hours of use.
“As I opened it, I felt something around the internal hinge, underneath the screen,” the customer wrote. “As I continued opening it, I heard an audible crack, and the screen broke right along the hinge.”
A separate owner said they had not even completed the set-up process when the screen failed after the phone was opened four times. They reported that the hinge became tight before making a loud pop when they pushed past the resistance.
Users question iPhone Duo hinge design
Apple has said the iPhone Duo’s hinge was designed to minimise the central crease and provide “lasting reliability”. However, the company has not confirmed the cause of the reported failures or formally acknowledged whether it is investigating the issue.
Users have suggested that the hinge may be responsible. An examination by repair specialists at iFixit found a highly complex mechanism and raised the possibility that part of it was not moving as intended.
A cable passes over the same area from which many of the cracks appear to spread. It has been suggested that pressure from the cable and a hinge component failing to descend properly could damage the display.
Korean YouTuber CuriousHagi also managed to recreate the cracking during durability testing. On dismantling the phone, a small hinge component was found to have snapped and affected the screen.
The component, known as a hinge linkage, is thinner than the surrounding pieces, potentially making it a weak point if the mechanism becomes snagged.
Under Apple’s warranty, hinge failures caused by normal use rather than “accident or abuse” are covered for one year. Repairs could cost up to $1,500 once the warranty has expired.
Replacement options may be limited, with all colour and storage versions of the iPhone Duo reported to be out of stock online until at least January 22. The phone is otherwise unavailable until January 2027, according to the reports.
Some owners said they had secured a replacement or full refund by visiting an Apple Store in person rather than ordering online.
The iPhone Duo is priced from £1,999 to £3,199 and is available with storage capacities ranging from 256GB to 2TB. Apple has been approached for comment.
