An Apple representative confirmed the issue affects the internal display of a small number of iPhone Duo and is conducting testing.

The first folding screen iPhone officially went on sale on October 23, attracting many people lining up outside Apple Stores around the world. However, after just one day, some people who bought the phone, which costs from $1,999, reported serious problems: the internal screen could be damaged, with horizontal light lines appearing emanating from the hinge area.

According to CNBC on October 26, Apple responded that it had noted that the problem affected "a small number of devices", and would replace the defective product according to the company's warranty policy. "We are aware of the problem. If you have a problem with the iPhone Duo screen, users should contact AppleCare to have the device replaced," an Apple representative said.

Meanwhile, the fee to repair the iPhone Duo's internal screen if the warranty expires is 999 USD.

Most of the information about the incident was reported by anonymous users on online forums such as Reddit and "When I showed it to a friend, I saw something in the inside hinge area. Continuing to open it, I heard a 'crack' sound, and the screen broke along the hinge." This person contacted Apple and was asked to replace the screen. After checking the information, Reddit administrators marked the topic as "verified content".

On October 25, iFixit, a reputable device repair unit in the technology world, also disassembled the phone and assessed the problem as possibly related to the hinge design.

"Some people described how they were opening and closing the phone when they heard a cracking sound, but still tried to continue operating," iFixit technician Shahram Mokhtari said in a video disassembling the device. "Right at the location where the damage occurred, the hinge structure was a little different."

"The hinge actually consists of dozens of parts, manufactured with extremely high precision," Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit, also explained on X. "Just one error in the manufacturing process or a grain of sand can destroy the fragile screen that the hinge is supposed to protect."

The problem of cracked folding phone screens has appeared since 2019. At that time, Samsung announced the first folding smartphone and the technology world quickly discovered that the internal screen cracked during normal use.

In addition to some disadvantages, many technology sites rate the iPhone Duo highly. According to Wired, the device has impressive battery life of 13 hours and 20 minutes for 5G web browsing. Tom's Guide calls the new iPhone "the most beautifully designed folding phone ever", but the difference lies in whether users "will accept the trade-offs of the folding design or not". Overall, the iPhone Duo received an 8.8/10 from Engadget and 7/10 from The Verge and Wired.

"Feedback from early iPhone Duo users has been extremely positive. We are also seeing progress from developers, as they quickly update apps to take advantage of the device's unique design," an Apple representative told CNBC.

iPhone Duo was launched on September 9, but went on sale a month later than iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max. The device is available for pre-order from October 16 and will start shipping from October 23. This year, Vietnam continues to be in the first group of markets to sell new Apple products.

Chau An summary