Apple offers replacements for iPhone Duo inner screen defects

Apple said a small number of iPhone Duo units have defects in the inner display and advised affected customers to contact AppleCare for a replacement, according to Bloomberg. The acknowledgment came after users reported cracked inner screens and white lines appearing shortly after the foldable’s launch on October 26, 2026.

Users posted photos and accounts on Reddit and other online communities describing a crunching or catching sensation near the hinge while unfolding the device, followed by cracks along the center fold. Some units show white blotches on the right side of the screen or bright vertical and horizontal lines, and some register input without being touched.

San Diego customer Tom Battle said the device felt harder and slower to open than usual, and a line appeared on the screen after opening it. Venture investor Jonathan King said he heard a crunching sound while unfolding the device and that the inner screen is now unusable while the small outer screen works normally. Jainam Shah said the hinge suddenly stiffened and a bright line appeared on the inner screen without the device being dropped or pressed hard.

Apple said most units are unaffected and that defective devices show symptoms from the start. iFixit suggested a hinge component fault, such as a misbehaving center support or a rail that fails to guide the hinge, could put excessive pressure on the display. The exact cause has not been confirmed.

The iPhone Duo starts at $1,999. In the Chinese market, a Shenzhen Huaqiangbei vendor cut the price premium on the 1TB model by 2,800 yuan to 24,300 yuan, down from prices above 25,000 yuan at launch. IDC analyst Francisco Jeronimo said the case shows even a company with Apple’s engineering and supply chain management must go through trial and error with foldables, noting Samsung faced similar issues at the 2019 launch of the first Galaxy Fold.