For many Apple fans, the iPhone Duo launch day was a moment of disappointment and frustration. The iPhone Duo has a problem, a critical design flaw, which has led to a not insignificant number of units breaking after only a few hours of use.
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In a new report (translated source), a Foxconn employee reveals that this problem stemmed from Apple rushing its foldable iPhone to the market instead of waiting until it was a product that met the company’s standards.
A quick rundown on Crackgate
One of the many iPhone Duos that have cracked. | Image by Reddit
Crackgate, as the internet has decided to dub it, refers to the current reports flooding in of broken iPhone Duo units. A component below the internal folding display, located on the hinge, seems to dislodge during normal operation.
This component then presses outward against the screen until it cracks during a standard folding or unfolding maneuver. The display is broken from top to bottom in the center, lines of stuck or dead pixels appear, and some times the screen becomes unresponsive or goes blank.
Have you experienced an iPhone Duo breaking?
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Apple allegedly lowered its quality control standards
Some iPhone Duos have a problematic hinge. | Image by PhoneArena
In the report, the anonymous Foxconn employee claims that Apple lowered its quality control standards to ensure more stock for the iPhone Duo come launch day. Yield was disappointingly low as October loomed closer and Apple had already decided to release the iPhone Duo after the iPhone 18 Pro and the iPhone 18 Pro Max.
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So the company apparently decided to lower its quality control standards to secure more iPhone Duo units. In fact, it might not be inaccurate to state that the quality control for the iPhone Duo is some of the worst that we’ve ever seen from Apple.
Apple wanted the iPhone Duo in stores quickly
The app experience on the iPhone Duo can be pretty subpar. | Image by PhoneArena
There are many problems with the iPhone Duo. The phone doesn’t open most apps like it should. Some units make creaking noises when being folded and unfolded.
Even Apple’s own apps that have been optimized for the iPhone Duo run into odd glitches and bugs. Some UI elements randomly stop responding and the external display’s placement of the side bar leaves a lot to be desired.
Thankfully, some of these problems can be fixed with a software update. | Image by Reddit
All of this happened because Apple did not want to be late to the foldable smartphone market. Well, not even later than eight years, that is.
The company let go of its vision of a foldable phone that has no visible crease at all. Apple also didn’t wait for the Duo to have the software polish that its customer base might have expected. The under-display camera on the internal screen is also a very poor piece of hardware.
Apple was determined to get the iPhone Duo out there this year. It was going to kickstart new CEO John Ternus’s tenure no matter what. The Galaxy Z Fold 8, the Huawei Pura X Max, and the Xiaomi 18 Fold were going to get an iOS-themed rival and nothing could stop that from happening.
And so Apple lowered its quality control standards to make the deadline.
This launch should have been postponed
Apple waited eight years for this, it probably should've waited a few more. | Image by PhoneArena
In my opinion, and some others agree, the iPhone Duo’s launch should have been postponed further. Pre-order shipping dates slipped into next year and, though physical stores had some inventory, it wasn’t enough for the number of walk-in customers on launch day.
Apple very clearly launched the iPhone Duo prematurely based on the supply available just to get it to market earlier. I believe they knew they wouldn’t have a reasonable amount of supply until November at the earliest.
Simply put, there are just too many compromises with the iPhone Duo, especially for the price that Apple is asking for it. It should have been postponed.
The company should have waited until display tech improved, or it could source a better under-display camera, or until more inventory could be stockpiled. If nothing else, Apple should have at least waited until it was certain it wasn’t skipping mandatory quality control checks just so that it could claim last place in a race that started eight years ago.
Abdullah loves smartphones, Virtual Reality, and audio gear. Though he covers a wide range of news his favorite is always when he gets to talk about the newest VR venture or when Apple sets the industry ablaze with another phenomenal release.
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