Apple’s long-awaited entry into the foldable smartphone market is generating considerable excitement, with reviewers praising the iPhone Duo’s innovative design and impressive display. But the company’s most expensive iPhone is already facing questions about its durability after several early buyers reported cracked screens, including one customer who said the device broke just six hours after purchase.

The $1,999 iPhone Duo officially arrived in stores Friday, marking Apple’s first attempt to compete in a category that Samsung and other manufacturers have been developing for years. Although technology critics have largely applauded Apple’s engineering, they have also identified significant drawbacks involving the phone’s weight, camera performance, software compatibility, and limited multitasking capabilities.

The early reviews reflect a mixture of enthusiasm and reservations. Engadget awarded the Duo an 8.8 out of 10, while The Verge and WIRED each gave the device a 7 out of 10.

Engadget described Apple’s first foldable as “worth the wait,” while The Verge called the experience a “messy, expensive, good time.”

WIRED offered similarly favorable impressions of the hardware, characterizing the Duo as an “astonishingly good first foldable.”

Much of the praise has focused on the device’s folding mechanism and its expansive 7.6-inch interior display, which opens to provide a tablet-like viewing experience.

Apple developed a hinge designed to operate smoothly while allowing the screen to remain open at various angles. Reviewers also highlighted the titanium construction and the company’s efforts to minimize the visible crease that has been a longstanding drawback of foldable smartphones.

The inner display features a matte, anti-reflective finish intended to reduce glare, making the larger screen easier to use under different lighting conditions.

However, the launch was quickly overshadowed by complaints from several customers who reported damage to their new phones.

One Reddit user claimed the device developed a crack along the folding mechanism after only a few hours of use.

“iPhone Duo screen cracked within 6 hours of ownership,” the customer wrote.

According to the account, the problem occurred while the owner was opening the phone to demonstrate it to a friend.

The customer reported having “felt something around the internal hinge, underneath the screen.”

“As I continued opening it, I heard an audible crack, and the screen broke right along the hinge,” the post continued. “There were no marks or damage on the inner screen’s surface or the external hinge to suggest anything had been caught or damaged.”

The owner subsequently returned to an Apple store, where employees reportedly replaced the damaged phone with a new Duo.

Other users shared photographs and video footage showing similar damage near the folding area.

“Looks like some of them are cracking in the exact same area,” one Reddit commenter observed.

Another person posted an image of a damaged handset with the caption, “I’ve seen several iPhone Duos with damage in this exact same spot.”

The complaints have raised questions about whether the failures involve isolated defective units or a more widespread issue affecting the new folding mechanism.

The number of reported incidents remains small relative to the device’s overall launch, and there is not yet sufficient evidence to determine whether the Duo has a systemic durability problem.

Nevertheless, the reports are likely to attract attention because of the phone’s unusually high price and the additional mechanical complexity involved in a folding display.

For a device costing nearly $2,000, customers may be particularly concerned about the possibility of damage occurring during ordinary opening and closing.

The concerns come despite the generally favorable reception of Apple’s hinge engineering.

Reviewers found that the folding mechanism feels sturdy and operates with impressive precision. The interior screen also reduces the prominence of the central crease compared with many earlier foldable devices.

The crease has not been eliminated completely, however. Several reviewers observed that it remains visible under certain lighting conditions and can still be detected when sliding a finger across the display.

The anti-reflective screen coating also involves compromises.

Although it substantially reduces reflections, some critics found that colors appear less vivid and dark images lack the deep black tones associated with Apple’s premium conventional iPhones.

Another frequently mentioned drawback is the Duo’s size and weight.

The device weighs 254 grams and measures 11.3 millimeters thick when folded, making it noticeably bulkier than a standard premium smartphone.

While the interior screen provides considerable space for reading, viewing photographs, and watching videos, the exterior display measures only 5.4 inches.

Some reviewers appreciated the smaller outer screen because it makes the folded device relatively compact. Others found it restrictive, particularly when browsing websites, typing messages, or using applications designed for larger smartphone displays.

The Wall Street Journal delivered one of the more critical assessments of Apple’s new product, describing it as “Too Much iPhone, Too Little iPad.”

The newspaper argued that the Duo’s larger display does not necessarily translate into the productivity advantages users might expect from a tablet.

Although the phone opens into a substantially larger screen, its software does not provide the same flexibility available on Apple’s iPad.

Multitasking, keyboard functionality, and application management remain more limited, reducing the usefulness of the expanded display for certain types of work.

Software compatibility has emerged as another significant weakness.

Apple’s own applications generally transition smoothly between the smaller exterior screen and the larger interior display, but many third-party developers have not yet fully adapted their software to the new format.

As a result, some applications continue to appear in narrow, smartphone-sized windows even when the Duo is completely unfolded.

WIRED reviewer Julian Chokkattu described the resulting display as having “Thick, black bars on the sides, with a phone-sized app in the middle of this tablet-like display.”

Engadget reviewer Sam Rutherford identified the inconsistency between compatible and incompatible applications as “the biggest growing pain you’ll face on Apple’s first foldable.”

The limitations extend beyond applications that have not yet been redesigned.

Even Apple’s own multitasking system imposes restrictions that reviewers found frustrating.

Users can operate two applications simultaneously on the larger screen, but the software requires each to occupy exactly half the available space.

Unlike certain Android foldable phones, the Duo does not permit users to adjust the relative size of the two windows.

Nor can users open a third floating application above the split-screen arrangement, despite Apple having offered similar functionality on iPads for years.

“If you have two apps split-screen on the Duo, Apple won’t let you resize one app to be slightly bigger than the other like you can on Android,” Chokkattu wrote in WIRED.

“Here, a 50-50 split is always enforced. You can’t add a floating third app when in split-screen either, even though Apple has offered a similar capability on iPads for years.”

These restrictions could prove disappointing for customers who view the foldable design as a way to combine the convenience of a smartphone with the productivity features of a tablet.

Some of the software shortcomings may improve as developers update their applications.

WIRED reported that several widely used apps received compatibility improvements during the review period.

Creative Strategies also observed a substantial increase in the proportion of its installed applications optimized for the Duo over approximately six days, suggesting that software support is developing quickly.

Unlike hardware limitations, application compatibility and multitasking features can potentially be improved through future updates.

Other limitations, however, are built into the device itself, including a camera system that does not match the capabilities of Apple’s highest-end conventional iPhones.

Despite being the most expensive iPhone Apple has ever released, the Duo does not include the company’s most advanced photographic hardware.

“Despite being Apple’s most expensive iPhone, the iPhone Duo does not have its most powerful camera system,” Chance Miller of 9to5Mac observed.

The phone’s primary and ultrawide cameras generally received positive reviews, but several critics found that they could not match the iPhone 18 Pro’s performance, particularly when taking photographs in poorly lit environments.

The Duo also includes a concealed 4-megapixel camera beneath its larger interior display, a feature intended to preserve an uninterrupted viewing area.

However, reviewers found that the under-display camera produced noticeably weaker photographs, including images with washed-out colors and reduced clarity.

Gizmodo reviewer Raymond Wong questioned the decision to omit Apple’s most versatile camera hardware from such an expensive product.

“I hear you: it feels absurd that a $2,000 phone—the most expensive iPhone ever—does not have the most versatile camera system that Apple has to offer,” Wong wrote.

He also reported that he “noticed more lens flares coming off streetlights and more smeared details.”

The folding design does offer some photographic advantages unavailable on a conventional iPhone.

Users can take selfies using the higher-quality rear cameras while previewing the photograph on the smaller exterior screen, potentially producing better results than the dedicated front-facing cameras.

The device can also be positioned at different angles without a separate stand, allowing users to capture photographs or videos more easily in certain situations.

Battery performance was another area in which the Duo exceeded some reviewers’ expectations.

Although its large interior display requires considerable power, the phone managed to deliver respectable battery life during testing.

Tom’s Guide recorded 13 hours and 20 minutes of operation during a continuous web-browsing test conducted over a 5G connection while using the larger screen.

That result exceeded the 10 hours and six minutes achieved by Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 under the same testing conditions.

However, the Duo remained well behind Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro Max, which lasted 17 hours and 31 minutes.

Other reviewers reported that the new foldable could comfortably last through a normal day of use, although prolonged activity on the larger display reduced battery life more quickly.

Apple has equipped the Duo with its A20 Pro processor, a redesigned cooling system incorporating a vapor chamber, and a dual-battery arrangement intended to support the demands of the foldable design.

The device runs iOS 27, which Apple modified to accommodate transitions between the smaller outer screen and the larger internal display.

Apple officially introduced the Duo on September 9, describing it as a major development in the iPhone’s evolution. Preorders opened October 16, followed by the October 23 retail launch.

The handset is available in two colors, star white and night sky, and features a polished titanium exterior.

Apple has emphasized that the Duo’s compact folded dimensions and expansive interior screen are intended to provide users with both smartphone convenience and tablet-style functionality.

The company has also promoted the durability of the precision hinge, making the early reports of broken displays particularly noteworthy.

Additional accounts emerging since Friday’s launch have raised further questions about the device’s reliability.

One customer in Dallas reported that the interior screen cracked before the initial setup process had been completed. According to the customer’s account, the hinge became unusually difficult to move after approximately four openings, followed by a loud popping sound.

The customer said an Apple Store replaced the phone without charge.

Other reports have described discoloration, dark lines, and bright bands of malfunctioning pixels near the folding area.

Photographs circulating online show some affected screens developing a distinctive pattern, with damage extending along the crease and across part of the interior display.

Reports have emerged from the United States, Australia, and China, although the circumstances surrounding some of the photographs remain unverified.

Independent durability testing has also raised concerns.

In a video published by the JerryRigEverything YouTube channel, technology reviewer Zack Nelson subjected the Duo to a series of demanding tests involving scratches, dirt, repeated folding, and bending.

The exterior screen demonstrated substantial scratch resistance, but the flexible interior display proved much easier to mark, a weakness common to foldable smartphones.

During testing, dirt and sand interfered with the hinge mechanism, eventually preventing the phone from closing completely.

A separate bending test damaged the internal display and produced visible screen defects.

Those tests involved conditions considerably more extreme than ordinary daily use, however, and do not establish that the phone will fail under normal circumstances.

Some technology publications have also cautioned against drawing sweeping conclusions from the relatively small number of complaints appearing online.

AppleInsider reported contacting employees at seven Apple stores, including four major locations, and found that none of the stores surveyed had received a Duo for service or return because of a broken display.

That account suggests the early complaints may not reflect a widespread problem, although the device has been available for only a short period.

The distinction is important because isolated manufacturing defects can occur during the launch of virtually any electronic product, particularly one introducing an entirely new mechanical design.

Apple has not publicly identified a common cause behind the reported screen failures.

For affected customers, the company’s standard warranty and return policies may provide protection, depending on the circumstances of the damage.

Some early buyers have already reported receiving immediate replacements at Apple retail locations, although individual experiences may vary.

The mixed reception illustrates the challenge Apple faces in introducing its first foldable smartphone several years after competing manufacturers entered the market.

While the Duo’s engineering, materials, and screen design have impressed reviewers, the product also requires customers to accept compromises that are difficult to overlook at its $1,999 starting price.

Its camera system is less capable than that of some less expensive iPhones, its folded dimensions make it relatively heavy and thick, and its software has yet to take full advantage of the larger display.

At the same time, the phone offers an entirely different experience from a conventional smartphone, allowing users to carry a substantially larger screen in a device that can still fit into a pocket.

Tom’s Guide praised the Duo as the “best designed foldable yet,” reflecting the enthusiasm surrounding Apple’s approach to the category.

9to5Mac, meanwhile, concluded that most consumers would still be better served by a traditional iPhone.

For now, the Duo’s biggest test may have less to do with its innovative features than with how reliably its folding screen performs after weeks and months of regular use.

With reports of cracks appearing within hours of the product’s release, Apple faces an early challenge in reassuring customers that its most expensive smartphone can withstand the ordinary demands of daily operation.

{Matzav.com}