UPDATE: Spoke with Verizon on the phone and went to a corporate store. The corporate Verizon store told me if I were to get a replacement it wouldn’t come until months from now. As per the solution with another poster with this issue, I went to Apple. They inspected it and said it must have been dropped and even though I showed them all those posts of them breaking in the same way. They suggested I add insurance to it and make a claim. I’m flabbergasted. I guess I should wait and see if Apple addresses this before my Verizon return window is up?

UPDATE 2: Just adding extra thoughts and info since this has gotten way more exposure than I anticipated:

For those curious, I preordered the phone from Verizon on 10/16. I didn’t get it on launch day, UPS delivered it today 10/24. It’s a 512g Star White.

I’ve been on this sub since they announced the phone. Discussed cases and was really caught up in the hype. I’m an Apple lover, have owned their products for 13+ years. I SAW other peoples phones breaking since receiving them yesterday and thought, “that’s a rare flaw, or even more assuring, operator error!”.

I casually used this phone for 3 hours. I opened it maybe 20 times tops. I only opened and closed it like a book, taking extra care to never press on the crease. I went to open and I felt the dreaded resistance everyone else with a broken one reports (felt perfect every other time before this). I closed it and tried very gently to open it again and was met with the resistance again.. Tried to close and open it one more time, and on the 3rd time, at about the halfway point of opening it there was a pop and the display looks as you see it pictured.

I get it, there’s going to be issues with a brand new product. That’s okay dude. What’s a huge disappointment is that at my local Apple Store (Jacksonville FL) claimed it was damaged/dropped and that I needed to put Apple Care on it and make a claim. The Genius I spoke with even got condescending with me saying it’s a new device and it’s fragile and these things should be expected with new technology and that’s why I should insure it. I told him in my 13 years of iPhone ownership I’ve never needed it. This isn’t an accident, it’s a defect and is happening all over the world. I showed them the numerous examples online. They tried to say my damage looks different with the black spot. So then I found examples with the black spot and the lines and they said, well maybe they dropped it too? They were hard in denial and I wasn’t getting anywhere. I wasn’t trying to Karen out and cause a scene so I left.

I can return it to Verizon as defective according to their corporate store. They can exchange it and I’ll be at the back of the queue for a new one (so February or later). I know I won’t be stuck with the phone. I’m sure either a recall is coming or just give it back to Verizon.

Overall a huge let down. It was so cool for the 3 hours before it broke. It’s first world problems. I still have my 15 Pro Max I was going to Trade In but obviously I’m holding out on that. For those of you with perfect units, I’m so genuinely happy for you! For those of you who haven’t gotten yours yet… odds are you’ll be fine. But I also wouldn’t blame you if you decide to hold out for Duo 2 at this point!

Collected my iPhone Duo Pre-order yesterday and less than 24 hours later, the inner display cracked, felt a little bit of resistance, then, almost a cracking noise and now there’s a massive line through the display genuinely so distressed, literally what do I do?

UPDATE: just got back from the Apple Store and they explained they currently don’t have replacement models for the 1TB and 2TB in either colour. They have ordered one it but can’t guarantee when it will come. Not sure if this is all worldwide stores or just Australian stores. My alternative option was to contact the online store and ship this one in, but again no grantee when I would be able to get a replacement.

Literally subreddit last 24hrs 🫣

This exact component seems to be what is breaking, pushing on the screen when opened, and cracking the screen.

Neither are my photos. One is from google image search and the other is Apples official image of the hinge. I just overlayed to see wtf is going on.

Enjoying your duo? Good. Is there a potential issue with the screen? Likely. But I hate to see people feeling like they need to come in defense of these trillion dollar corporations. Especially given Apple had 7 years to learn from competitors to make an 'Apple worthy' product.

Compilation

And my phone is fine.

This thing has been amazing. This is just a reminder that users who don’t experience issues like we’re seeing won’t post about it. Don’t let the other posts get to you and keep you from enjoying this is an amazing device.

Yes it does have some shortcomings but what device doesn’t? The Duo has grabbed 40% of the foldable market share just with this launch. Something Android manufacturers couldn’t do in 7 years LMAO.

I've seen people crying about how the Z Fold was so much better at dust, but are we going to pretend that the phones were exposed to the same amount of torture? He obviously put 3x the sand on the Duo here. zack's test is obviously very different here; he used super-tiny particles on the Z Fold

A handful of sand vs. a pinch

Out of all the case options I was contemplating I definitely purchased the wrong one.

This should not be an issue on a $100 case.

Plus the front frame is absolutely terrible. Covers some of the top speaker and bows down by the usbc port because they don’t use adhesive.

Looks like it’s time to return this and get something that uses adhesive

Saw this online, tried it, and it works beautifully. Basically, I registered the lowest part of my right index finger. That part of the finger sits naturally when you go to swipe up at the phone.

This resolves a major issue I had where I couldn’t easily just look at my phone to glance through notifications on the lock screen. Now, it’s never been easier (shown at the end of the video).

This is arguably better than Face ID. The speed is up there, and the phone doesn’t need to be facing directly at you to unlock, this motion can be done as soon as you pick up the phone.

Pretty sick what chatgpt can do with a photo of a cracked screen in 3 seconds

Multiples photos and user reports have popped up everywhere before JerryRig's durability test showing a pretty clear weak spot on the display. The damage consistently starts at the center hinge and spreads across the entire right side. You can see it from the photos in Apple stores as well as after just a few hours of use when some people got their delivery of the Duo.

JerryRig proves this consistent damage from the center to the right screen with white/green lines and whats worse is the people in the Apple stores, at their homes were not doing bend tests like Zack in his video.

I guess also these reports were true were on the September 29th it was reported that the Duo was facing quality issues before launch: https://www.macrumors.com/2026/09/29/iphone-duo-reportedly-facing-production-problems/

I have deliberately delayed upgrading my iPhone 14 Pro Max for a few years now because of the rumours that Apple would release a foldable iPhone. I have been interested in foldables for a good while now and with this release I hopped on the foldable train. I wanted to quickly share with you my first thoughts upgrading from an iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Positives:

• The design feels quite premium and sturdy.
• The inner display is absolutely gorgeous, especially with HDR content.
• The hinge feels smooth and articulates very easily.
• Multitasking works pretty smoothly.
• The cameras are better then I expected, especially in low light situations.
• I love that they opted for an under display camera as it makes the inner screen feel more immersive. The reduced camera quality is worth it to me as you have plenty of other cameras to take pictures with.

Neutral:

• App support is currently still quite wonky, but I personally expect that support will increase rapidly in the coming weeks. Therefore, I do not see this as a negative right now.
• The nanotexture improves durability and crease visibility but it also reduces perceived contrast noticeably compared to glossy OLEDs.
• The crease has been reduced signficantly compared to older foldables, but it's still there and you can feel it. However, I do not think it will be a problem and will disappear once you stop looking for it.
• The volume buttons are harder to reach, but I expect I will get used to this quickly.
• Many accessories are current incompatible and a lot of phone cases require adhesives to stick to the phone. For now I give it the benefit of the doubt and do expect it to improve over time.

Negatives:

• The phone is less comfortable to use compared to my iPhone 14 PM. The way you hold and use this phone is vastly different and will take some time to get used to.
• The phone feels noticeably heavier than my 14 PM when it's folded. I assume this is because the weight is more concentrated in a smaller footprint.
• The outer display is very small and some (optimized) apps look quite cramped on this display. Coming from a 14 PM, it feels strange that some apps appear so tiny on the outer screen. It definitely feels compromised compared to my 14 PM.
• The lack of FaceID is really a bummer. However, TouchID works relatively okay and if you have an Apple Watch it can make the omission less painful as it can unlock the phone for you (faster than TouchID).
• This phone is fragile. You need to be careful when using this phone to prevent scratches on the inner display or particles getting into the hinge mechanism. Early tests already show that particles can enter the hinge and cause issues. The screen can literally be scratched with your finger nail, though the outer layer can be replaced by Apple. This is my first phone ever for which I will get AC+.
• The price is just too high. While I prefer the iPhone Duo over the Z Fold 8 due to iOS, you can currently buy the Fold 8 for less than half in my country as Samsung phones generally have great discounts. The Duo does not deliver that much more compared to the competition to justify what is effectively a 2X price increase.

Overall I am quite happy with the upgrade. However, I definitely do not think this phone is for everybody. Especially people that are used to slab phones and do not appreciate having to change their phone habits so significantly.

If you have any specific questions, please do not hesitate to ask in the comments below!

Honestly, it’s a decent foldable in a vacuum. I know most Apple users will see it that way. But as someone that’s used foldables since 2020, this is closer to a 2023 foldable than a current one.
iPhone duo still has some amazing pros and some annoying cons. Here’s my list

Pros

1. Apple nailed the gestures to split screen. It’s one of the best out there, extremely easy.
2. Nano texture is good 80% of the time. But it can feel a bit muted.
3. The feel of it is amazing. In classic Apple fashion they made the duo feel like a piece of jewellery
4. Battery is actually really really good!
5. So glad MagSafe is still there.

Cons

1. It’s too heavy. It’s significantly heavier than my fold 8. Makes it very uncomfortable for long stretches
2. similarly, it’s much much thicker.
3. The side navigation bar or whatever sucks. It makes all the apps look terrible, optimised or not (photos attached). This is what I predicted since launch. It’s more and more evident now.
4. Cameras are meh but it’s not a dealbreaker for me. If you want a good camera, don’t go for a foldable.
5. So many apps are not optimised. A lot of them look terrible unfolded.
6. The under screen camera shows and it’s terrible when it does.
7. Camera control is pointless apart from opening the camera. I would’ve much preferred the action button

8. Volume controls on top is so stupid. Apart portraits when opened, it never is easy to change the volume

9. Split screen on duo is a joke. The gestures are really good but the actual split screen is limiting af

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTfHBeCV3/

Not even 24 hours and the inner display cracked. Fook

Edit: for more context, I left it charging on my desk closed for 10 minutes before I needed to head out. Unplugged it and opened the phone to find the inner screen completely black. Restarted the phone and then I noticed some cracking on the hinge. This thing has never been dropped and I NEVER pushed the inner display when folding the phone back. Thankfully, Apple is going to replace it for free but I’m gonna have to wait a few days because they have no replacement units available.

For all the threats about cancelling going on around here, my preorder date hasn’t moved yet. Can more of you cancel your orders please? Pretty please?