Apple's foldable iPhone Duo draws screen-crack, Touch ID and camera complaints after launch

Centre · 1Apple's first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo, went on sale on 24 October, priced at Dh8499 in the UAE, and within two days the talk around it had turned to what owners and reviewers want changed. 1 Centre · 1Gulf News groups the complaints into three areas: how the phone unlocks, what its camera system lacks, and, in a growing number of user reports, how well its screen holds up. 1 Centre · 1Some owners report cracked screens, which users have started calling "Crackgate"; Gulf News says Apple has not yet explained what is behind the reports. 1

Left · 1The Verge reports that iFixit's teardown has theories about the damaged screens and cracking hinges: the hinge is very complex and part of it may sometimes not descend properly, and an accordion cable passes over that spot near the edge of the battery, possibly concentrating pressure and causing the "audible crack" some have reported. 2 Left · 1These are iFixit's suspicions rather than confirmed causes, and Apple did not immediately respond to The Verge's request for comment. 2 Left · 1iFixit gave the Duo a 5/10 repairability score, the best it has given a foldable. The outer nano-texture layer is relatively easy to replace, but repairing the folding display itself is, in The Verge's words, "an expensive nightmare". 2

Left · 1iFixit also found that the inner screen's matte nano-texture cover scatters reflections and helps mask the crease, and that oval subpixels at various angles may further hide it. Dust got into the USB-C port, speaker grills and hinge, but less of the test glow dust reached the inside than with the Z Fold8 or Pixel 11 Pro Fold. 2 Centre · 1The biggest complaint in the Gulf News account is unlocking: Apple left out Face ID and put a Touch ID reader in the side button, which PCMag's reviewer found sometimes took several attempts and is harder for left-handed people to reach. 1 Centre · 1Despite this, PCMag gave the Duo 4.5 stars and wrote that it offers "the best hardware, performance, and battery life of any foldable phone on the market." 1

Centre · 1Reviewers also note the lack of a telephoto camera. The Duo has a 48MP main and 48MP ultra wide camera, with "optical-quality" 2x zoom at most, against the iPhone 18 Pro's three cameras, including a 4x telephoto. 1 Centre · 1Citing Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, via PCMag, Gulf News reports that Apple already has iPhone Duo 2 prototypes with an under-display Face ID sensor, expected within one or two models, roughly two to three years out. Gurman said Apple is considering a telephoto lens with no clear timeline, and later models could have an 8.5 to 9 inch main display, up from 7.6 inches. 1 Centre · 1Gulf News speculates that space is the likeliest reason for Touch ID, since the phone body is only 5.2 mm thick; Apple has not explained the choice. 1