The iPhone Duo launch has been anything but smooth, and some people even call the whole thing a flop. You've probably already heard of the "Crackgate" scandal, with the screen of the iPhone Duo catastrophically failing after just hours of use.
But on the other hand, the device is now sold out and people are waiting for the second batch. Meanwhile, Apple says that this "day-one manufacturing issue" affects just a small number of devices, and to make things even more complicated, it seems that Apple can't keep up with repair requests.
What's going on, and is the iPhone Duo really a flop? Let's unpack everything we know so far.
The iPhone Duo Crackgate
The screen of the iPhone Duo is failing left and right. | Images by Reddit
Mere hours after the first iPhone Duo units arrived in the hands of owners, Reddit and Instagram were filled with images of screen failures.
The first images were called fake, but reports piled up so fast that even skeptics had to admit there's a problem with the Duo.
Is the iPhone Duo a flop, or is it just a small number of bad apples making a lot of fuss?
Pre-order units have sold out
The iPhone Duo is expected to sell 6 million units, according to Counterpoint. | Image by PhoneArena
Meanwhile, the iPhone Duo can't be categorized as an official flop, as all the pre-order units have sold out, resulting in market success and strong demand on paper.
Counterpoint estimates that Apple will sell a total of 6 million iPhone Duo units (already sold out, judging by availability), and that's between a third and one-fourth of all foldable shipments this year (20.2 million to 26.8 million). That is a strong start and market success by definition. Here comes the next turnaround, though.
Apple can't keep up with repair requests
User experience with iPhone Duo. | Image by Reddit
Even though Apple claims that these screen failures affect a small number of units, and that they're a result of a day-one manufacturing issue, recent developments suggest otherwise.
It's worth noting that the situation above is just a single case, and after some back and forth, and the inclusion of a higher-ranking Apple official, the user got his express replacement. This makes the story a bit speculative, and we can't say with any level of certainty what the exact number of these defective units is. Where does this leave us?
Is the iPhone Duo a flop, should you buy one, and what about the iPhone Duo 2?
Apple is reportedly already working on the iPhone Duo 2. | Image by YankoDesign
My personal opinion is that the iPhone Duo is not a flop, and the Crackgate story is a bit blown out of proportion. Our unit at PhoneArena has stayed crack-free after all of our lab tests, and probably the majority of these 6 million iPhone Duo owners are just fine.
It's completely normal to make a fuss if your $2K device is indeed defective from the factory, and this absolutely is an issue. However, 1,000 reports of cracked iPhone Duo screens might seem like a huge number, but against 6 million sold units, it's less than 0.02%.
That being said, I would just wait for the iPhone Duo 2. Rumors have it that Apple is going to include Face ID and a triple camera system featuring a telephoto lens. Any day-one manufacturing defects should be fixed by the time this model hits the market, so that might be the sensible choice here.
What do you think? Is the iPhone Duo a flop, or is it just a small number of bad apples making a lot of fuss?
Read more about the iPhone Duo "crackgate" saga here:
Mariyan, a tech enthusiast with a background in Nuclear Physics and Journalism, brings a unique perspective to PhoneArena. His childhood curiosity for gadgets evolved into a professional passion for technology, leading him to the role of Editor-in-Chief at PCWorld Bulgaria before joining PhoneArena. Mariyan's interests range from mainstream Android and iPhone debates to fringe technologies like graphene batteries and nanotechnology. Off-duty, he enjoys playing his electric guitar, practicing Japanese, and revisiting his love for video games and Haruki Murakami's works.
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