Apple's first foldable iPhone has barely reached customers, and some owners are already dealing with cracked screens. The iPhone Duo launched on Oct. 23 with a starting price of $1,999. Within hours, complaints began appearing online from people who said their new phones developed cracks along the folding display.
Even more concerning, several reports describe damage appearing in nearly the same location. Some owners say their phones made unusual noises before the screens failed. Others noticed bright white lines spreading across the display. Now Apple has acknowledged the issue and says affected customers can request replacements. However, the company has yet to explain exactly what's causing the failures.
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Apple spent years developing its first folding iPhone. The device opens to reveal a 7.6-inch display, giving people a much larger screen without carrying a separate tablet. When closed, it looks like a compact smartphone with a 5.4-inch outer display. The design generated enormous excitement when Apple introduced it in September. However, that excitement took an unexpected turn shortly after the first phones reached customers.
Multiple iPhone Duo owners have reported cracks developing along the center of the inner display. In several cases, a bright line of damaged pixels extended from the fold toward the right side of the screen. Some owners have shared photos of the damage on Reddit, along with accounts of how quickly their new phones failed.
One owner, u/leftyhyzer16, said the screen cracked before setup was complete, after opening and closing the phone only a few times. Another owner, u/Midnight_Slump, reported a failure within six hours and received a replacement from Apple. Reddit moderators also checked additional photos and Apple paperwork provided by the owner. They confirmed the damaged phone and its replacement were genuine. Meanwhile, u/chimchambam said the display failed after just three hours. That owner reported being turned away by an Apple Store before ultimately returning the phone through Verizon. All three owners described problems appearing after very little use. Their experiences don't tell us how widespread the issue is, but they help explain why these early screen failures are getting so much attention.
On Oct. 26, Apple acknowledged reports about the damaged displays. In a statement provided to news outlets, the company said: "We are aware of an issue impacting the inner display on a small number of iPhone Duo units." Apple has instructed affected owners to contact AppleCare for a replacement. That's encouraging news for anyone whose new phone has already failed, especially considering its $1,999 starting price.
However, Apple hasn't disclosed exactly how many devices are affected or identified what's causing the screens to crack. We also don't know whether the problem involves a manufacturing defect affecting certain phones or something in the overall design. We reached out to Apple for additional comment but did not receive a response before our deadline.
Here's what caught my attention. Several of the damaged screens appear to crack near the hinge, right where the phone folds. That's a pretty troubling place for something to go wrong on a $2,000 folding phone. So what's happening inside? The repair experts at iFixit took the iPhone Duo apart and used CT scans to get a closer look at its hinge. They spotted something that could help explain the damage. A small support bar may not move far enough out of the way when the phone folds. If the display presses against that bar, it could put enough pressure on the screen to cause a crack.
Now, I want to be clear. This is still a theory. iFixit hasn't confirmed that the support bar caused the reported damage, and Apple hasn't explained what's going wrong. But it does raise questions about how well the hinge and flexible screen work together, especially when people are already reporting similar cracks just days after buying the phone.
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Here's another detail that caught my attention. Although iFixit found that the iPhone Duo was more repairable than other foldable phones it had tested, replacing its inner display remains complicated. The company gave the device a provisional repairability score of 5 out of 10. More importantly, it reported that an out-of-warranty inner-screen repair costs $999. That's roughly half the starting price of the phone.
Fortunately, Apple says customers affected by this particular display issue should contact AppleCare for a replacement. An AppleCare+ subscription is not required to request help for the acknowledged defect. However, accidental damage and unrelated screen repairs may fall under different coverage terms. You can learn more in our guide to checking your Apple warranty and what it covers.
If you recently purchased an iPhone Duo, pay attention to how the hinge feels when you open and close the device. A sudden increase in resistance or an unfamiliar popping sound deserves attention. If you notice something unusual, avoid forcing the phone open or closed. Don't repeatedly fold it to see whether the problem happens again. If your screen develops cracks or bright lines, here are some steps worth taking.
Ask about replacement availability. Some affected customers have received immediate exchanges at Apple Stores. However, replacement inventory may vary. Contact Apple before making a special trip and confirm the next steps for your particular device.
The concerns go beyond cracked screens. My colleague Chris was excited to switch from his Samsung Galaxy Fold to Apple’s new iPhone Duo. But after trying it, he was so disappointed that he decided to return it to Best Buy and get an iPhone 18 Pro instead.
He found the interface buggy and cumbersome, missed having Face ID and felt the cameras fell short of his expectations. He also preferred the display quality of other phones. At nearly $2,000, he simply couldn’t justify keeping it, saying, "I think the craftsmanship is phenomenal. I love the heft and the solid nature of the device, but because I’m coming from a foldable, there were so many glaring missteps that Apple made along the way, and at first they were little, but little things add up to the point where you genuinely question whether this truly was ready for prime time."
Now, Chris’s phone didn’t crack. His complaints are about the overall experience. But when someone who already enjoys using a foldable phone decides Apple’s version isn’t worth keeping, that gets my attention. I still think the Duo has some impressive features, but between these early screen problems and Chris’s experience, I’d want to try one in person before spending that kind of money.
I've been looking forward to seeing what Apple could do with a foldable iPhone, and I still think the Duo is an impressive piece of technology. But I have to admit, these early screen failures would make me nervous about spending nearly $2,000 on one. I give Apple credit for acknowledging the problem quickly and offering replacements. That's the right response. What I want to know now is why these screens are failing and whether Apple can prevent the same thing from happening to replacement devices. Then there's my colleague Chris, who already knows his way around a Samsung foldable and still found Apple's version disappointing enough to return it. That tells me Apple has some convincing to do beyond fixing the screen issue. At this price, I want a phone that feels like an upgrade, not one that makes me question what I'm giving up. For now, I'd be inclined to wait rather than rush out and buy one.
If you spent nearly $2,000 on Apple's newest iPhone and the screen cracked within days, would a free replacement restore your confidence, or would you demand your money back? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com
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© Apple
El iPhone Duo está sufriendo roturas en su pantalla interior por posibles fallos en la bisagra, y eso que el primer plegable de Apple apenas lleva una semana en el mercado. El teléfono llegó a España el pasado 23 de octubre con un precio de partida de 2.339 euros y algunos compradores ya han visto cómo su pantalla se agrietaba después de unas pocas aperturas.
Según recoge Futurism, hay algo que hace que toda esta historia resulte especialmente llamativa: Apple utilizó algoritmos de inteligencia artificial para ensamblar las bisagras de su nuevo teléfono. La compañía lo explicó durante la presentación del dispositivo el pasado mes de septiembre y, ahora que han empezado a aparecer los primeros problemas, ya ha reconocido la incidencia y está reemplazando las unidades afectadas.
Cuando Apple presentó oficialmente su primer iPhone plegable, uno de los elementos a los que dedicó bastante atención fue precisamente su bisagra. No es extraño, teniendo en cuenta que hablamos de un mecanismo formado por más de 100 componentes, fabricado con titanio de grado 5 y que utiliza inteligencia artificial durante el proceso de ensamblaje para ajustar las piezas.
Johny Srouji, responsable de hardware de Apple, explicó durante el evento que "utilizamos algoritmos de IA para emparejar con precisión cada bisagra con la carcasa que mejor se adapta a ella". Además, un sistema de escaneo láser permite corregir pequeñas irregularidades mediante la aplicación de capas microscópicas de material, con la intención de que todas las piezas encajen correctamente.
Por aclararlo, no estamos hablando de una IA generativa como ChatGPT o Gemini, sino de algoritmos de aprendizaje automático aplicados a procesos industriales. Este tipo de sistemas ya se utilizaban mucho antes de que la inteligencia artificial empezase a aparecer en las presentaciones de prácticamente cualquier producto tecnológico. Apple, por supuesto, tampoco ha querido quedarse fuera de esa tendencia.
El caso es que algunos compradores han empezado a encontrarse con grietas y líneas de píxeles dañados en la pantalla interior, aparentemente sin haber hecho un uso anormal del dispositivo. Hay usuarios que aseguran haber escuchado un crujido al abrir o cerrar el teléfono antes de descubrir los daños, mientras que otros se han encontrado con el problema durante las primeras horas de uso.
Ya habíamos visto la marca del pliegue en la pantalla en las primeras fotografías reales del teléfono, aunque aquello no implicaba necesariamente que hubiese un fallo. Ahora estamos hablando de algo diferente: roturas que afectan al funcionamiento de la pantalla interior de 7,6 pulgadas, y que aparecen en una zona muy concreta, cerca del mecanismo que permite plegarla.
Los especialistas de iFixit ya han desmontado el teléfono para intentar averiguar qué está sucediendo. Shahram Mokhtari, uno de sus responsables, cree que una barra de soporte central podría no estar retrayéndose correctamente cuando se cierra el dispositivo. Esto haría que la pantalla flexible entrase en contacto con una parte del mecanismo que ejercería demasiada presión sobre ella.
La explicación tiene sentido si tenemos en cuenta que varias de las roturas conocidas aparecen cerca del mismo punto, aunque todavía no se ha determinado la causa exacta del problema. iFixit también contempla que otras piezas móviles puedan estar ejerciendo presión sobre el panel. De momento, Apple tampoco ha detallado qué está provocando estas averías.
Lo que sí ha hecho la compañía es reconocer la incidencia. En un comunicado, Apple ha asegurado que "somos conscientes de un problema que afecta a la pantalla interior de un pequeño número de unidades del iPhone Duo". También ha indicado que los compradores afectados pueden solicitar un reemplazo a través de AppleCare, sin necesidad de tener contratado AppleCare+.
Todo esto recuerda bastante a lo sucedido con el primer Samsung Galaxy Fold en 2019, cuando varios dispositivos enviados a la prensa comenzaron a sufrir fallos de pantalla y Samsung tuvo que retrasar su comercialización. Apple llega siete años después al mercado de los plegables, aunque de momento no hay indicios de que vaya a tener que tomar una medida similar a la de su competidor.
Por ahora tampoco sabemos cuántos iPhone Duo están afectados ni si Apple tendrá que modificar algún elemento de su bisagra. Y teniendo en cuenta que el modelo de 512 GB cuesta 2.589 euros en España, parece razonable esperar que un teléfono de este precio pueda abrirse y cerrarse sin temor a que su pantalla se rompa durante las primeras horas de uso.
Apple unveiled a long-awaited touchscreen MacBook Pro after years of resisting the feature, topping off a fresh wave of product announcements under CEO John Ternus.
The redesigned MacBook Pro in 14- and 16-inch sizes was presented yesterday (28 October), with a tandem OLED display it calls PROLED XDR and touch input which is being brought to macOS for the first time.
Apple stated the touch sensor is built into the panel rather than layered on top, which cuts latency.
It is targeting the feature at designers, musicians, and developers testing iPhone and iPad apps. It noted the touch function works alongside the keyboard and trackpad rather than replacing them. Hardware chief Johny Srouji called it a monumental step for the Mac.
Reuters noted Apple executives had long resisted the idea. Steve Jobs said in 2010 laptop touchscreens were “ergonomically terrible”, and Tim Cook, then CEO, said in 2012 that such devices would be as pleasing to users as converging a toaster and a refrigerator.
“I’m glad to see Apple adopt the best-in-class display technologies with its industry leading silicon and design,” Anshel Sag, an analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, told Mobile World Live. “OLED and touch has long been the mark of a premium laptop for Windows and now I’m glad to see Apple embracing both technologies together.”
Both the 14-inch and 16-inch models of the MacBook Pro offer configurations featuring the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, with up to 24 hours of battery life.
Orders opened yesterday, with shipping from 6 November. Prices start at $2,899 for the 14-inch M5 Pro and run to $4,799 for the 16-inch M5 Max.
The launch is the latest in a run of hardware announcements under Ternus, who took over as CEO from Tim Cook in September. His first big reveal was the foldable iPhone Duo foldable smartphone, priced at almost $2,000.
On 13 October, Apple expanded its smart home portfolio of devices, led by the $299 HomeView display built to show off Siri AI. Apple also announced a new Apple TV 4K, HomePod mini 2 and accessories made with LG and Schneider Electric.
Ternus is reportedly pushing to speed up product development and is weighing a move away from Apple’s usual launch cycles.
The post Apple adds touchscreen option to laptop range appeared first on Mobile World Live.
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