Abstract:
Only three days after Apple’s first foldable screen phone iPhone Duo was officially launched, many consumers reported similar failures on the internal screen. On October 25, iFixit, a well-known repair organization, released an iPhone Duo disassembly report. It used CT scans, actual machine disassembly and Apple-related patents to build a 3D model of the hinge, trying to find out the reasons for the cracking of the internal screen reported by some consumers. Its preliminary investigation found that the failure may be related to the hinge's internal support structure.
The fault shows similar characteristics, with vertical black lines or cracks appearing in the middle of the screen near the hinge, and horizontal bright lines appearing on the right half of the screen. For these concentrated fault locations, iFixit discovered details worthy of attention during the disassembly.
iPhone Duo adopts a waterdrop-shaped folding structure, which controls the bending of the screen through gears, springs and multiple interconnected metal joints. There are also arc-shaped guide rails inside the hinge so that each joint can move according to a predetermined trajectory to reduce the stretching and squeezing of the screen during the folding process.
Water drop hinge ifixit
Hinge close-up ifixit
However, iFixit overlaid the fault photos provided by consumers with the hinge 3D model and found that some of the screens appeared abnormally in the lower center of the hinge, close to the junction of the flexible cable channel connecting the two sides of the fuselage and the central support structure.
The damaged area intersects with the display cable ifixit
There happen to be multiple structural edges at this location, and the support the screen receives during the bending process will also change accordingly.
iFixit points out that this means the failure could have multiple causes. Among them, the structure of the central rotating shaft is different from other parts of the hinge. The agency suspects that the central rotating shaft or other nearby moving parts are stuck during the opening and closing process.
iFixit also raised the possibility that when the phone is closed, the central support rod does not sink sufficiently as designed, causing the curved screen to be locally squeezed, causing local stress concentration near the fault location and compressing the display cable.
3D rendering video ifixit
iFixit has not determined the specific cause of the screen failure. The agency pointed out that the actual scope of screen damage may be smaller than the area where the display is abnormal. A local failure at a small electrical connection may affect an entire row or column of pixels.
It is worth noting that iFixit gave iPhone Duo a tentative repairability score of 5 points, out of 10 points, which is the highest score the agency has given to folding screen mobile phones.
iFixit believes that compared to other folding screen phones, the iPhone Duo’s screen is relatively easy to disassemble. The outer screen can be completely removed, and the frame around the inner screen is fixed with buckles, making it difficult to be damaged during disassembly. The nano-texture protective layer on the inner screen surface can also be replaced separately without replacing the OLED panel below. However, if the entire internal screen needs to be replaced, the repair is still complicated, requiring processing of multiple layers of adhesive and precise installation of the screen; hinge repair requires dismantling the flexible screen and its supporting structure, which is also a major deduction for the machine's maintenance score.
Apple China’s official website shows that the estimated cost of out-of-warranty repair for damage to the iPhone Duo’s inner screen is 7,998 yuan, nearly half of the starting price of 15,999 yuan, while damage to the outer screen will cost 3,198 yuan. After purchasing AppleCare+, the service fees for the two repairs are reduced to 628 yuan and 188 yuan respectively.
At the same time, the price performance of iPhone Duo in the early stages of its launch was in contrast to the previous market enthusiasm where it was hard to find one.
Only three days after its release, the selling price and recycling price of iPhone Duo through some third-party channels have already “broken”. On the Pinduoduo platform, the official price of the 256GB version is 15,999 yuan, reduced to 15,799 yuan after subsidies, and the 512GB version is 17,799 yuan after subsidies, both 200 yuan lower than the official price.
The previously high IPO premium of Dewu Platform has also narrowed rapidly. Data shows that the price of the Starlight White 256GB version has been as low as 16,238 yuan, which is only 239 yuan higher than the official price.
Offline recycling prices are also declining. A merchant quotation obtained by Blue Whale News shows that the recycling price of the 512GB version is 17,950 yuan, which is 49 yuan lower than the official selling price. The recycling premium of other models is generally around 200 yuan.
However, as prices in third-party channels fall, some orders from Apple's official website still have to wait until January 2027 for delivery, and there is also news of a significant increase in production in the supply chain.
On October 26, Taiwan's "Economic Daily" quoted supply chain sources as saying that due to insufficient stock of the first batch of iPhone Duo, Apple has asked suppliers to speed up production, and there is news of an additional 30% order. According to reports, the stocking volume of this model this year is expected to be increased from the original approximately 6 million units to 8 million to 10 million units, and shipments in 2027 are expected to reach 33 million units.
The report also pointed out that the current production capacity bottleneck of iPhone Duo mainly comes from the insufficient supply of hinge-related parts and the difficulty of assembling the whole machine. Whether subsequent production capacity can be increased still depends on whether these bottlenecks can be alleviated.
On the same day, in response to the price break in some channels of iPhone Duo, Apple’s official customer service responded that third-party merchants may have platform subsidies or store discounts, and Apple’s official website prices are relatively stable. Customer service also said that some third-party channels have sufficient supply but fewer buyers, which may also lead to price drops.
Regarding the long waiting time for orders on the official website, Apple customer service gave two possibilities to advance delivery: one is to increase production capacity, and the other is to cancel orders by consumers who had previously lined up. Customer service mentioned that many customers have canceled orders.
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