Cracked Screens Hit Apple's First Foldable Days After Launch

Apple's first foldable iPhone is cracking along its hinge for some buyers, just days after the $1,999 handset went on general sale globally on Friday. Apple has confirmed an issue affecting a "small number" of iPhone Duo units and is telling affected customers to contact AppleCare for a replacement.

Reports surfaced on Reddit and social media within hours of launch. One buyer in Australia said the device cracked within six hours of taking ownership. "I was showing it to a friend, and as I opened it, I felt something around the internal hinge, underneath the screen," the user wrote on Reddit, posting an image showing a white strip of light running along one half of the display. "As I continued opening it, I heard an audible crack, and the screen broke right along the hinge."

The user said their local Apple store replaced the phone immediately. The Guardian said it couldn't verify the claims. A second Australian user reported hearing "almost a cracking noise" on their handset, followed by a similar screen malfunction.

How widespread is the damage?

Bloomberg has reported similar complaints from users in the US and India. Apple believes the affected units show defects quickly after use, which suggests the failures should surface early rather than spread across the installed base over time.

Experts say the sample is too small to call it a systemic flaw. Francisco Jeronimo, vice-president of data and analytics at IDC, said it's too early to tell whether the screen issue is significant. "This is quite common when a new product comes to market," he said.

Jeronimo pointed to a direct precedent at Samsung. "What matters now is how the company responds … Samsung experienced problems with the original Galaxy Fold in 2019, but it also showed that a fast and transparent response can contain the damage to a category," he said. "Apple said that any customer with problems should ask for a replacement, which is the right first step."

Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight, said he's taking a very cautious view of the Duo screen problem. As yet, he said, there's no evidence of a more widespread issue with the device.

What is Apple saying?

The company is framing the failures as isolated. It said early user response to the iPhone Duo has been "incredibly positive." Demand, Apple said, has been "nothing short of extraordinary."

The stakes are unusually high. The iPhone Duo, which retails from $1,999 in the US and £1,499 in the UK, is Apple's most high-profile product launch under chief executive John Ternus, who took over from Tim Cook in September. A display failure on the company's first foldable would test the new CEO's first flagship rollout.

Supply is already tight. The device has sold out, and the next round of shipments isn't expected until January, according to a report in Economic Daily, a Taiwan-based publication. Taiwan is the home of Foxconn, Apple's main device manufacturer.

What happens next?

Apple's replacement policy mirrors Samsung's playbook from the Galaxy Fold's troubled 2019 launch: acknowledge fast, swap units, and keep selling. The January shipping gap gives Apple a window to resolve whatever is breaking at the hinge — and how quickly replacements reach cracked-screen owners will likely determine whether this stays a footnote or becomes the defining story of the Duo's first quarter.