Owners of the new foldable iPhone are reporting cracks in the device’s screen, with Apple confirming an issue with a “small number” of units.
Reports of cracks have emerged on Reddit and social media platforms since the phone went on sale worldwide on Friday. Experts said there were too few examples to determine whether there was a more serious problem with Apple’s first foldable device, which retails from $1,999 (£1,499).
Apple has confirmed that some devices have been affected by a display issue.
“We are aware of an issue affecting the internal screen of a small number of iPhone Duo units. If users are experiencing issues with their iPhone Duo screen, they should contact AppleCare for a replacement,” the statement said.
An Australian user reported that their Duo crashed within six hours of picking it up and posted their experience on Reddit.
“I was showing it to a friend and as I opened it I felt something around the internal hinge, under the screen,” they wrote alongside an image of the phone showing an apparent display malfunction where a strip of white light ran along half the screen.
“As I continued to open it, I heard an audible crack and the screen broke all the way to the hinge.”
They said their local Apple store replaced the phone immediately. The Guardian was unable to verify the user’s claims. Another user in Australia reported hearing “almost a cracking sound” on their phone, which led to a similar screen malfunction.
A report from news service Bloomberg also highlighted similar problems among users in the United States and India.
Apple believes that the affected units develop defects quickly after use. He said the response from early adopters had been “incredibly positive”.
The company said demand had been “simply extraordinary” for the iPhone Duo, its highest-profile product launch under the company’s new chief executive, John Ternus, who took over from Tim Cook in September.
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The device is sold out and the next round of shipments is not expected until January, according to a report from Economic Daily, a publication based in Taiwan, the home country of Foxconn, the main maker of Apple devices.
Francisco Jeronimo, vice president of data and analytics at IDC, a technology research company, said it was too early to say whether the screen problem was significant. “It’s pretty common when a new product comes to market,” he said.
Citing similar problems at Samsung in 2019, he said: “What matters now is how the company responds…Samsung had problems with the original Galaxy Fold in 2019, but it also showed that a quick and transparent response can contain the damage to a category.”
“Apple has said that any customer experiencing issues should request a replacement, which is the right first step.”
Ben Wood, chief analyst at research firm CCS, said he was taking a very cautious view of the Duo display problem and that there was no evidence so far of a more widespread problem with the device.
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