# Apple's $1,999 foldable cracks within days of launch

> iPhone Duo owners report inner screens cracking along the hinge within hours of unboxing, forcing Apple to replace units just days after launch.
- Title: Apple's $1,999 foldable cracks within days of launch · Fortune
- Summary: iPhone Duo owners report inner screens cracking along the hinge within hours of unboxing, forcing Apple to replace units just days after launch. Apple is…
- Keywords: apple, iphone duo, foldable phone, screen cracking, john ternus, product defect, applecare, samsung galaxy z fold 8, google pixel 11 pro fold, Apple's, 999, foldable
- Source: Fortune — https://fortune.com/2026/10/27/apple-iphone-duo-foldable-screen-cracking-hinge
- Author: Lena Borrelli
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: apple, iphone duo, foldable phone, screen cracking, john ternus, product defect, applecare, samsung galaxy z fold 8, google pixel 11 pro fold
## Cracked screens within hours
Some iPhone Duo owners report the seven point six inch inner display cracking along the hinge within hours of unboxing the nineteen ninety-nine phone.
## Apple acknowledges the problem
Apple told CNBC on Monday it is aware of an issue impacting the inner display on a small number of iPhone Duo units and directed affected customers to AppleCare for replacement.
## Strong start now clouded
Preorders sold out within minutes on October sixteenth and most early reviews were positive, but the cracking reports emerged just four days after the October twenty-third launch.
## Stock market reacts
Apple shares fell one point one percent to three hundred forty-three dollars ninety-one on Monday and slipped again in premarket trading Tuesday, even as the broader tech sector rallied.
## What the damage looks like
Photos show the inner screen cracking down the center line of the hinge, often followed by a horizontal band of pixels stuck glowing white. One owner reported an audible crack preceding the damage.
## iFixit finds a clue
iFixit's teardown found damage clusters just below where a display cable crosses under the screen near a central support bar. The support bar may not be fully retracting as the phone closes.
## Hinge complexity and dust risk
Apple says the hinge is engineered from more than one hundred components. iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens warned that a manufacturing variance or grain of sand can kill the fragile display panel it protects.

> a manufacturing variance or grain of sand can kill the fragile display panel it protects
## Repair costs are steep
Apple lists an inner screen repair at nine hundred ninety-nine dollars, half the phone's starting price.
## Ternus's first test as CEO
John Ternus took over from Tim Cook on September first. The iPhone Duo is his first marquee product as CEO, and Apple reports fiscal fourth quarter results on November second.
## What happens next
A contained defect fixed quickly with replacements could fade fast. A pattern would be harder to shake for a two thousand dollar phone sold on durability. For now, Apple's advice is to call AppleCare.
## Key takeaway

Apple is replacing iPhone Duo foldables whose screens cracked along the hinge within days of the October twenty-third launch, clouding what had been strong early demand.