It turns out Apple made the screen area around the crease extremely soft and prone to damage.
The iPhone Duo screen is soft around the crease
The iPhone Duo screen has a nasty secret! | Image by X
A recently released Weibo video, reposted by the prolific leaker IceUniverse, shows a hands-on experience with the iPhone Duo. And boy, it doesn't look good. In the video, the Weibo user going by the handle Kang is swiping his finger over the crease portion of the iPhone Duo's screen.
You can clearly see how the surface bends and deforms under what appears to be little to no pressure at all. There are wrinkles, and the surface looks very soft. It almost looks like nylon with some air trapped underneath. What's going on?
iPhone Duo features a screen with variable thickness
The screen is thinner under the crease to allow it to unfold to a flatter surface and hide it. | Image by Weibo
According to earlier rumors, the iPhone Duo features a screen with variable thickness in order to hide the crease. Unsurprisingly, the display is softer in that particular area, allowing the material to stretch more easily and unfold to a flatter surface. The original Weibo poster claims to have asked professionals about the strange behavior of the iPhone Duo screen.
According to Kang, Apple not only made the screen thinner around the crease but also increased the cushioning to account for the display shrinking and expanding when there are temperature deviations. Furthermore, Kang and his friends tested a couple iPhone Duo units and the softness was present in all of them, so it's not a unit-specific anomaly.
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The good news and the bad news
The bad news is that such an approach makes the iPhone Duo screen prone to scratching and damage. Granted, it's limited to the surface around the crease, but still, many people (myself included) fold these devices by pressing a finger in the middle of the screen, right on this softer area.
The good news is that the top layer of the iPhone Duo's screen is replaceable. However, this cool new feature comes with its own caveats.
Do you think an AppleCare Plus plan is necessary with every iPhone Duo purchase?
8 Votes
iPhone Duo's screen costs $1,000 to repair without AppleCare Plus
Even though the outer layer of the iPhone Duo is engineered to be replaceable, there's more to the story. Our colleagues at MacRumors dug up Apple's full list of iPhone Duo repair fees without AppleCare+ coverage, and things are EXPENSIVE.
The cover layer replacement costs just $49 without AppleCare Plus, but inner display damage will set you back $999! Here's the full list of iPhone Duo repair fees (without AppleCare Plus):
Cover layer damage: $49
Back glass damage: $199
Battery service: $229
Rear camera damage: $229
Outer display damage: $379
Outer display and back glass damage: $509
Inner display damage: $999
Other damage: $1,499
The same list looks much more manageable if you're an AppleCare Plus subscriber:
Battery service below 80% capacity: $0
Cover layer damage: $19
Back glass damage: $29
Outer display damage: $29
Inner display damage: $99
Other accidental damage: $99
Theft or loss: $149
Everyone needs AppleCare Plus with the iPhone Duo
Getting AppleCare Plus is almost mandatory with the iPhone Duo at this point. | Image by Apple
Given the price differences above (a display replacement is exactly ten times more expensive without AppleCare Plus), it's almost mandatory for every iPhone Duo owner to get Apple's extended warranty and insurance plan.
AppleCare Plus for the iPhone Duo is $19.99/month, $199.99/year, or $399 as a one-time upfront payment. What do you think about this? Is paying extra worth it in this case?
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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