iFixit has published its teardown of the iPhone Duo, and the repair specialist says the findings may help explain the screen failures some early owners have reported, although it stops short of a definitive answer. MacRumors summarized the results on Sunday.
What may be behind the cracks
iFixit listed several possible causes for the display problems: pressure on the panel, a trapped particle, repeated bending, or a manufacturing defect. It also noted that the screen may not be physically broken at all, since a wiring fault can produce similar symptoms.
According to the report, the affected units appear to have a hinge with a different shape. The damage clusters where the gap in the crossing flex cable meets the central hinge support, slightly below the point where the display cable passes through. Several edges meet in that spot and change how the thin display is supported as it bends, which could concentrate stress. iFixit built a 3D hinge model from teardown footage, patents and CT scans to study the area, and it has posted an interactive CT scan of the hinge on its site.
A second possibility is the curved rails that follow the screen's pivot points. They may lift above the flat hinge plates as the phone closes, and one rail lines up with the damage. A hinge component meant to retract may also not be doing so. iFixit said it found no clear answer.
Dust, batteries and parts
Before opening the phone, iFixit covered it in fluorescent dust. The Duo carries an IP68 rating, and dust reached the USB-C port, speaker mesh and bezel, but few particles got inside. Some did reach the hinge and made it crunch. The hinge collected less dust than the Galaxy Z Fold8 or Pixel 11 Pro Fold in similar tests, which iFixit called encouraging, though it said the phone is not ideal for the beach.
The nano-texture cover layer peeled off easily, as Apple intended. Apple designed it to be replaceable, with a replacement priced at $19 with AppleCare+ and $49 without it. The batteries use the adhesive Apple introduced with the iPhone 16, which loosens with a small electrical charge, and iFixit called it the best battery removal experience it has seen on a foldable. The logic board is unstacked, the first in an iPhone since the iPhone 8.
Repairability
iFixit gave the Duo a provisional repairability score of 5 out of 10, ahead of the 4 out of 10 it gave both the Galaxy Z Fold8 and the Pixel 11 Pro Fold. Positives include a repair manual on day one, an outer display that comes off intact, and batteries that release electrically. The inner display and hinge assembly cost it points. "This is the most repairable foldable smartphone we've seen so far, and it's still going to be a bear to repair," iFixit said.
Apple has not commented on iFixit's analysis of the hinge, based on the information in MacRumors' report.
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