Just a few days after the iPhone Duo went on sale, photos of cracked inner screens began appearing on Reddit and the MacRumors forums. A few days ago, we also reported on an Australian user who had the phone for only about 6 hours and opened and closed it fewer than 20 times,The inner screen cracked along the hinge.At the time, Apple had not yet responded, and many people online doubted the authenticity of these photos. Now there has been a new development: Apple has confirmed to 9to5Mac that a small number of iPhone Duo inner screens did have issues, and it is offering replacements to affected users.
Apple confirms iPhone Duo has an inner screen issue! A small number of devices are affected, and you can get a replacement directly even without AppleCare+.
According to 9to5Mac According to the report, they have obtained an official statement from Apple, and this is the first time Apple has directly responded to this wave of screen cracking issues. The translation of the statement is as follows:
Early user response to the iPhone Duo launch has been very positive, and developers are quickly updating their apps to support the device’s unique form factor. We have noticed a small number of issues with the iPhone Duo’s inner display; these issues usually appear shortly after the user begins using the device, and the vast majority of devices are not affected. If a user’s iPhone Duo screen shows abnormalities, please contact AppleCare to replace the device.
From this statement, we can see that Apple confirmed several things this time. First, there is indeed an issue with the inner display on a small number of iPhone Duos, though it did not specify how many units, which also means most devices should not be affected. Second, most iPhone Duos with the problem will show abnormalities quickly and won’t wait several months to fail, so there is no need to worry too much about that. Finally, users who experience screen abnormalities can contact AppleCare to replace the entire device.
Image source: Reddit
However, what Apple acknowledged this time was an “inner display issue.” It did not say the hinge design was defective, nor did it disclose the cause of the failure, propose a design fix, or announce a recall. Therefore, the claims circulating online about a hinge design flaw remain third-party speculation.
Based on user descriptions compiled by various media outlets, there are several clear commonalities in this incident:
- A “crunch” noise occurs when opening and closing: many users report hearing a sound like something being crushed when they open the phone, and then the inner screen cracks.
- Cracks along the central crease: the fractures are almost all located on the line right at the center of the hinge.
- White bright lines or bright patches appear: after cracking, an entire row of pixels on the screen gets stuck in a bright white state; in some photos, the bright line can be seen extending to the right, forming an L-shaped abnormal area.
- The hinge feels different: a San Diego user said that before the problem occurred, opening the phone felt stiff, tighter and slower than usual. Affected users interviewed by Bloomberg also felt a bulge beneath the screen near the crack.
The timing varies: some after a few hours of use, some after a few days, and some users even had it crack during the initial setup process on first boot.
Regarding this disaster, previously When iFixit tears down the iPhone DuoIt is speculated that the hinge’s internal structure may be the cause, but it cannot be 100% confirmed yet. In addition, iFixit also mentioned that external pressure, foreign objects getting stuck, repeated bending, or manufacturing defects are all possible factors, and more investigation is needed to draw a conclusion.
Image source: iFixit
Source: KOCPC Chinese