Apple's $2,000 folding iPhone Duo is already creasing and cracking

Owners of Apple's new $2,000 folding phone, the iPhone Duo, say the screen already shows a deep crease down the middle. Some screens have cracked along that same line. The reports started within two days of the phone's release, after people waited overnight in line at Apple stores. Online, the problem is being called "crackgate."

What owners are reporting

One Reddit user wrote that they had the phone for about six hours and opened it fewer than 20 times. While opening it for a friend, they felt something near the hinge and heard a crack. The screen broke right along the hinge. Another owner posted a photo of a wide, uneven dip down the center.

• A deep crease along the fold of the screen
• Screens that cracked along the crease
• A bright white line of stuck pixels, which are tiny dots that stay lit, running from center to edge

Not everyone is upset. One commenter put it this way: it is a foldable, the crease is there, so enjoy it.

What may be causing it

The repair site iFixit took the phone apart and offered two guesses about the white line. A support bar in the middle may not be pulling back as the phone closes, pressing on the screen. Or curved rails that guide the hinge may rise up during folding and push on the display. These are theories, not confirmed causes.

What the tests show

Creases are normal on folding phones. Samsung's Galaxy Fold arrived seven years before the Duo, and that line also develops a crease that users say gets more noticeable over time. Reviewers have pushed the Duo hard. TheCaseTester saw the crease after 1,000 folds. Tim Pan saw a similar result after 11,500. CNET's custom folding machine passed 55,000 folds. Journalist Joanna Stern said the phone felt "pretty much the same" after 32,000.

What to do

If you are thinking about a Duo, expect a visible crease and check Apple's return and repair terms before you pay. 9to5 Mac reports that most buyers with the white line have gotten a replacement from Apple. It is not yet clear whether Apple would replace a phone for the crease alone. Apple did not immediately respond to 404 Media's request for comment.