Apple’s first foldable is running into a problem. iPhone Duo screens are breaking, but is this a case of a flawed design like Samsung’s original Galaxy Fold, user error, or a bit of both?
The earliest days of Android foldables were turbulent, to say the least. The original Galaxy Fold ran into major display issues within just 48 hours of reviewers getting their hands on the phone prior to the official release, leading to Samsung ultimately delaying the Galaxy Fold’s release for months. Part of the issue at the time was that curious minds were removing the top-layer screen protector that, as every foldable now makes abundantly clear, was never meant to be removed. The other problem came in the form of debris that would get under the display and kill the panel from underneath.
During the delay, Samsung ended up making some updates to the Galaxy Fold’s design, including making the top layer extend under the bezel, adding caps to the top and bottom of the hinge to prevent dust and debris from getting under the display panel, and reinforcing the display itself to protect it. At the time, Samsung’s CEO admitted that the launch was “pushed… before it was ready,” leading to the “embarassing” delay.
Now, Apple seems to be running into its own first-gen foldable issues.
As our sister site 9to5Mac highlights, there are a growing number of reports of early iPhone Duo units breaking, with the inner display failing in the exact same way across a number of units. The display fails in the middle, with a green line forming across the right side of the panel before further damage develops over time.
The cause of the failure, it seems is a flaw in Apple’s hinge design. iFixit hypoethsizes that a support bar isn’t dropping far enough to leave room for the display panel, in turn creating a point of stress that could explain the broken iPhone Duo displays.
Similarly, iFixit’s teardown of the original Galaxy Fold in 2019 seemed to reveal the cause of Samsung’s display failures – and ended up being very much on the right track based on Samsung’s later fixes – though iFixit ended up removing the teardown at Samsung’s request.
Another YouTuber has found a similar point of failure in the iPhone Duo’s hinge that seems to point to why displays are breaking the in same location. Affected users have found that the hinge has resistance before the display cracks, including an “audible crack.”
In Samsung’s case, the problem was two-fold (pun intended), with some clear flaws in the hinge design and user error in the removal of the top layer. Samsung responded by delaying the release and making adjustments before re-releasing its first-gen foldable.
In Apple’s case, it’s certainly a bit trickier as this problem wasn’t revealed until the iPhone Duo landed in the hands of customers. The company has yet to issue a formal response to the problem, and affected users seem to be getting mixed messages from support channels. It’s still unclear in the chaos of the iPhone Duo’s launch just how widespread the issue is.
What do you think of the iPhone Duo’s display failures? Coincdence, or a bigger problem?
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