Apple announced it will replace iPhone Duo handsets with faulty inner displays, days after launching its first foldable smartphone at a starting price of £1,999 in the UK.
The company acknowledged "an issue impacting the inner display on a small number" of devices and directed affected users to contact Apple for replacements. Photos posted on social media show lines appearing across screens and cracks along the central crease where the device folds. Some owners also reported crunching noises when opening the phone.
One user, Justin Lokos, posted images of a faulty device with lines on the right side of the display before sharing a photo of his replacement handset from an Apple store in New York.
Apple did not disclose how many devices were affected. The company cautioned that some images of faulty phones circulating online may have been created using artificial intelligence, leaving the true extent of the problem unclear.
The Duo's 7.6-inch inner display is held by a central hinge, a complex engineering component. Samsung's Galaxy Fold encountered similar screen failures after its 2019 launch, with early reviewers reporting broken displays.
The Duo is Apple's most expensive iPhone ever, with top models costing up to £3,199. It marks the company's first major iPhone redesign in nearly two decades and was unveiled by new chief executive John Ternus, who replaced Tim Cook in September. When closed, the device resembles a wider iPhone. When opened, it functions as a small tablet.
Ternus said at Apple's California headquarters that the Duo would "redefine the experience of using a foldable phone," contrasting it with competitors' offerings that "just feel like two phones awkwardly stuck together." Android users already have access to multiple foldable options after years of development by other manufacturers.