Some iPhone Duo have cracked and streaked screens
iPhone Duo officially went on sale on October 23 and quickly attracted great interest. However, after just one day, besides the compliments, the device also revealed its limitations.
According to NYPost, the most serious is the screen stripe error, as there have been a number of cases recorded on social networks showing this. The images all show the same striped spot in the middle of the hinge and how the striping spreads.
"I've been using the iPhone Duo for about 6 hours and probably only opened it less than 20 times," said Reddit account Midnight_Slump. "When I was about to show it to a friend and opened it, I felt something in the inside hinge area, below the screen. Continuing to open it, I heard a loud 'crack' sound, and the screen broke along the hinge."
This person said he contacted Apple and was asked to replace the screen. Initially, the company "did not guarantee immediate pick-up time", but eventually replaced it with a new one. After checking the information, Reddit administrators marked this topic as "verified content".
Account Bitter_Offer7123 in Japan also had a similar experience. "It looks like some devices are cracking in the same place," this person wrote. "I have seen several broken iPhone Duo in this exact location."
Apple has not yet commented.
On YouTube, some reviewers also bent the iPhone Duo to test its durability. For example, the Gupta Information Systems account with more than 1.85 million subscribers reviews the device's titanium frame as sturdy and not easily bent backwards. However, when full force is used, the folded part begins to appear a light streak of a different color, and disappears when it returns to its original state.
Besides the screen problem, iPhone Duo is also complained about by a number of other issues. Although it is advertised as "fold-free", on the MacRumors forum and social networks, actual users say this part is "just flat when first unboxed" and marks are easily visible after a day.
In addition, the iPhone Duo's nano texture anti-glare protection layer has also been commented to cause difficulty seeing, reducing contrast and display image quality. Some try to peel off this layer, while others use clear stickers, making the surface thicker.
Incompatible software is also a frequently complained error on iPhone Duo. The Wall Street Journal describes the device as "too much iPhone, too little iPad", meaning that despite its spacious screen, its multitasking ability is very limited. Most third-party apps are not optimized, making the interface feel uncomfortable.
Engadget editor Sam Rutherford called the iPhone Duo's unoptimized apps "the biggest difficulty you'll encounter on Apple's first foldable phone."
According to 9to5mac, the iPhone Duo is also complained about its poor camera in low light conditions, while the hidden front camera takes "faint" photos. Similarly, Gizmodo's Raymond Wong wrote: "It's absurd that a $2,000 phone doesn't have the most versatile camera system," adding that he noticed "more lens flare from street lights and more blurred details."
In addition to some disadvantages, many technology sites rate the iPhone Duo highly. According to Wired, the device has impressive battery life when reaching 13 hours and 20 minutes of 5G web browsing, higher than the Galaxy Z Fold 8 (10 hours and 6 minutes) but lower than the iPhone 18 Pro Max (17 hours and 31 minutes). 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.
iPhone Duo was launched on September 9, but hit shelves 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.