iPhone Duo Screen Cracking: Apple Admits Defect Days After Launch, Offers Replacements

Apple has admitted that a small number of its first foldable iPhones, the iPhone Duo, are developing cracks on the inner display — just days after the $1,999 phone went on sale on October 23, 2026. The company says affected users should contact AppleCare for a replacement, but with launch stock sold out within minutes, getting that replacement quickly may prove difficult.

Key facts

What owners are reporting

The first reports surfaced on social media over the weekend after launch, with photos and videos showing cracks and bright lines across the inner screen exactly where the phone folds. Online communities quickly dubbed it “crackgate”. In some cases the damage appeared within hours of unboxing.

One Australian buyer reported that his Duo’s screen cracked after roughly six hours of ownership and fewer than 20 openings: he felt something beneath the display near the hinge while showing the phone to a friend, then heard an audible crack as he kept unfolding it. He was swapped a new handset on the spot at an Apple Store after Apple offered an express replacement — “Day zero, six hours of ownership, and already on my second phone,” he wrote.

In Dallas, another owner said the hinge became unusually tight after being folded about four times during setup, then made a loud pop when pushed past the resistance. His carrier warned that replacing through the carrier could push him to the back of the order queue, into January.

What Apple has — and hasn’t — said

Apple’s statement, carried by Reuters, USA Today and CNBC on October 26, is short: “We are aware of an issue impacting the inner display on a small number of iPhone Duo units. If users experience issues with their iPhone Duo display, they should contact AppleCare for a replacement.” The company added that affected units tend to show the problem quickly after use.

What Apple has not done is explain the cause, say how many units are affected, or give a timeline for replacement stock. That silence matters, because the early evidence points to a specific mechanical suspect rather than random damage.

The hinge theory: a stress hotspot under the display

Repair specialist iFixit examined the reported damage using teardown footage, patents and CT scans to build a 3D simulation of the Duo’s hinge. It found the damage clustered just below a display cable running beneath the screen near a central support bar. That bar, iFixit said, might be failing to drop out of the screen’s way as the phone folds — “creating a small stress hotspot near the reported break location.”

iFixit also concluded that the Duo is the most repairable foldable phone it has tested, which is some consolation for owners facing a repair bill later. But a repairable phone with a hinge that stresses its own display is a design problem, not a durability footnote — and it echoes Samsung’s original Galaxy Fold in 2019, when review units failed days before launch and the release was delayed for months.

IDC vice president Francisco Jeronimo called Apple’s replacement offer the “right first step” in containing the damage to the category — the same lesson Samsung learned in 2019: a fast, transparent response limits the fallout. Whether Apple follows through with readily available replacements will decide whether crackgate stays a footnote or becomes the Duo’s defining story.

Replacements promised — but can you actually get one?

This is where the story gets awkward for Apple. The Duo sold out online within minutes of sales opening, and US online orders were quoting shipping dates out to January, with an average shipping delay of 92 days reported by data provider Navi — far longer than recent iPhone launches. Korean coverage reports that launch inventory is effectively sold out, making a replacement unit hard to secure, and warns that once the warranty expires, an out-of-warranty screen repair could cost up to 1.65 million won (about $1,250).

The practical advice for owners is therefore simple: if your Duo shows any crack, line or stiffness at the hinge, contact AppleCare immediately and document the damage with photos before the problem spreads. Do not keep folding a damaged unit to “see if it gets worse” — a cracked foldable display can deteriorate fast, and a clear early record strengthens a replacement claim.

The other compromises buyers are noticing

The screen issue is not the only grumble. Korean coverage of the launch notes that the Duo, despite its 3.29 million won-plus price, drops two features iPhone buyers take for granted: there is no Face ID — authentication is Touch ID in the side power button, a concession to the foldable’s thickness and internal space — and there is no dedicated telephoto camera. The rear setup is a 48-megapixel main camera plus an ultra-wide, with 2x “optical-quality” zoom from the main sensor rather than a true telephoto lens.

None of that makes the Duo a bad phone — reviewers praised the large inner screen, battery life and sturdiness — but it reframes the purchase. At $1,999, buyers are paying a premium for the folding form factor while giving up features found on cheaper iPhones. The 7.6-inch Super Retina inner screen, 50% larger than the iPhone 18 Pro Max’s display, is the reason to buy it; the hinge is now the reason to hesitate.

What this means for buyers in Pakistan

Apple has no official retail store in Pakistan, so most local buyers get the Duo through importers or retailers, often at a markup over the $1,999 US price — our earlier iPhone Duo pre-order guide covered Pakistan pricing, specs and PTA tax. That makes the crackgate story directly relevant here: an imported unit’s warranty route runs through the seller or AppleCare, not a local Apple Store counter, so keep your purchase proof and the seller’s replacement policy in writing before you buy.

If you already own a Duo, check the hinge area under bright light, fold it gently, and report any line or crack to AppleCare at once rather than waiting. If you were planning to import one, the sensible move is to wait: let Apple confirm a fix, let replacement stock normalise, and let early-adopter reports show whether this affects a small batch or the whole first production run. The same caution applies to any just-launched flagship — see how the OnePlus 16’s launch pricing played out in Pakistan before deciding what an import is really worth.

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