Apple has confirmed it will replace iPhone Duo handsets that have developed screen problems, just days after its first foldable smartphone went on sale.
The company said it was aware of “an issue impacting the inner display on a small number” of the devices and urged affected customers to contact Apple for a replacement.
The £1,999 handset – Apple’s most expensive iPhone to date, rising to £3,199 for top-spec models – launched last week to crowds at Apple stores worldwide. It is the company’s first major iPhone redesign in almost two decades and its first entry into the foldable market, where rivals such as Samsung have offered devices for years.
Photos circulating on social media showed vertical lines appearing on the 7.6-inch inner display, while some owners reported cracks along the screen’s centre crease and a crunching noise when opening the device. One user, Justin Lokos, posted an image of a handset with lines running down the right side of the screen and later shared a photo of a replacement device alongside the broken one, thanking an Apple store in New York for its help.
The extent of the problem remains unclear. Apple did not disclose how many devices were affected, and some images of faulty handsets may have been generated using artificial intelligence.
The Duo’s inner screen is held together by a central hinge – a complex piece of engineering that has caused similar flaws in folding devices from Apple’s competitors. Samsung’s first foldable, the Galaxy Fold, suffered an early setback in 2019 when reviewers reported broken screens.
The launch marks a high-stakes gamble for new chief executive John Ternus, who took over from Tim Cook in September and unveiled the device at Apple’s California headquarters last month. “Others have created foldables that just feel like two phones awkwardly stuck together,” he told the audience, adding that the Duo would “redefine the experience of using a foldable phone.”
When closed, the Duo resembles a wider iPhone; opened, it looks like a small tablet computer. The launch comes as Apple seeks to reinvigorate its device range and challenge rival foldable phones, a technology Android users have been able to choose from for several years.
Apple has not commented on how many replacement units it expects to issue.
