Apple’s iPhone Duo has come under scrutiny following reports of cracked inner displays, and a new teardown from iFixit may have uncovered what’s causing the problem.
According to iFixit’s teardown, the issue could be linked to the phone’s hinge design, particularly an area where several components meet beneath the folding display. However, the repair specialists haven’t identified a definitive cause just yet.
To investigate, iFixit created a 3D model of the hinge using teardown footage, patents and CT scans, then compared it with images of reported screen failures. Interestingly, the damage appears to cluster around a transition point between the gap for the display’s flexible cable and the central hinge support.
That area has a different shape from the surrounding hinge structure, potentially concentrating stress on the display as it repeatedly folds and unfolds. iFixit also suggested that curved rails inside the hinge could be contributing to the problem if they fail to retract properly.
Still, there are other possibilities. Trapped particles, pressure, repeated bending or manufacturing defects could all explain the reported failures. Even damaged internal wiring could produce symptoms resembling a cracked screen without the display itself physically breaking.
The teardown also revealed some encouraging results for durability. Despite dust entering the hinge and causing a crunching sound, fewer particles reached the iPhone Duo‘s internals than during similar tests of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold.
Repairability is another area where Apple’s foldable performs relatively well. The outer display can be removed intact, while electrically releasable battery adhesive makes battery replacement easier than on competing foldables.
Apple has also made the inner display’s nano-texture cover layer replaceable, with repairs costing $19 with AppleCare+ or $49 without it.
Despite those improvements, iFixit awarded the iPhone Duo a provisional 5/10 repairability score, compared with 4/10 for both the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Pixel 11 Pro Fold.
It’s a promising result for Apple’s first foldable, although the complicated hinge and inner display remain its biggest repair challenges. And until the cause of the reported screen failures is confirmed, questions about long-term durability remain.