{"id":53708,"date":"2026-10-30T15:11:38","date_gmt":"2026-10-30T19:11:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/?p=53708"},"modified":"2026-10-30T15:15:42","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T19:15:42","slug":"iphone-duo-crackgate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/2026\/10\/30\/iphone-duo-crackgate\/","title":{"rendered":"iPhone Duo Crackgate"},"content":{"rendered":"

Juli Clover<\/a> (forum<\/a>):<\/p>\n

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Some iPhone Duos are already experiencing hinge issues that cause display cracks, based on photos shared on Reddit<\/a> and the MacRumors<\/em> forums<\/a>. Almost all of the display faults are right along the hinge, and most result in a line of bright pixels across one side of the screen.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

Juli Clover<\/a> (iFixit<\/a>, Hacker News<\/a>):<\/p>\n

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iFixit commented on some of the display failures people have been seeing, suggesting they could be caused by pressure, a trapped particle, repeated bending, or a manufacturing defect. It may not be that the display has physically snapped, because a wiring problem can cause the same effect.<\/p>\n

Where most of the faulty units are experiencing issues, the hinge has a different shape. The failure spot is also near where the accordion cable passes by and where several edges meet, which could be leading to a concentration of stress in that spot.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

Terrence O’Brien<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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Social media and the iPhone Duo subreddit are filled<\/a> with reports<\/a> of Apple’s foldable failing quickly and in spectacular fashion. Some users report having the phone for only a few hours<\/a> before the hinge seems to catch on something, then audibly crack and break the screen<\/a>. Tellingly, the cracks all seem to happen in the same place.<\/p>\n

YouTuber CuriousHagi<\/a> was able to reproduce the cracked screen during some durability testing of the iPhone Duo. Then he pulled it apart to try and find the culprit. What he found is that the Duo’s hinge is quite complex, consisting of a gear-like central hinge and two different types of linking hinges.<\/p>\n

The piece that broke is one of the links in the middle of the phone that happens to be thinner than the links below or above it, and it snapped at a small notch where it would be weakest. He also found marks where the hinge met the support plate, indicating where it may have gotten caught.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

Mark Gurman<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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In these cases, customers reported hearing a crunching sound when unfolding the phone, followed by a large crack forming along the center crease. Some users also experienced a white patch or other display malfunction on the right side of the screen.<\/p>\n

[…]<\/p>\n

Apple acknowledged the issue in a statement, saying it was “aware of an issue impacting the inner display on a small number of iPhone Duo units.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

Juli Clover<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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It is our understanding that some of the images of alleged cracking are AI-generated, which makes it harder to determine the actual scope of the problem.<\/p>\n

Many of the iPhone Duos experiencing issues cracked in the same place on the lower half of the inner display. The crack is along the hinge, and users say there is a stuck feeling and sometimes a popping noise just before the damage appears.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

Previously:<\/p>\n