The iPhone Duo has failed its first public durability test. Dust jammed the hinge so the phone would not close, and a single bend left the inner screen unresponsive. The outer display held up far better.
JerryRigEverything ran the tests in a YouTube video on the $1,999 foldable, which went on sale October 23. The inner display is the part that did not survive.
Dust got past the IP68 rating and left the hinge stuck open
Apple rates the iPhone Duo IP68 for up to 6 meters and 30 minutes in lab testing, and says that resistance is not permanent and can drop with normal wear. In the test, the phone was covered in sand, dust and dirt, and the hinge gave out.
The dirt did not get in through the screen or around the frame. It entered at a few points around the hinge, which Apple builds from more than 100 components, and enough collected inside the titanium hinge that the magnets could no longer pull the phone shut. A second set of magnets on the back, used for wireless charging, picked up dust as well.
A single bend left a green line and an unresponsive inner screen
The bend test showed more flex than expected, and the body stayed in one piece, but the inner screen picked up a permanent green line running from the center of the display out to the titanium frame. A second bend brought the total to three lines.
After that the whole inner screen stopped responding to touch, and the hinge still would not close because of the dust. Owners have also posted about cracked inner screens near the hinge since launch.
Replacing the inner display costs $999 without AppleCare+ and $99 with it.
The outer display scratches at level 7 while the inner screen marks at level 2
The outer display uses Ceramic Shield 2 and showed only faint marks at level 7 on the Mohs scale. The inner screen scratches at level 2, the same as other folding phones, which is where plastic starts to mark.
Apple covers the inner display with a nano-textured cover layer made from a custom polymer, and the matte finish hides scratches while the screen is on. Once the display turns off, the marks show up, and isopropyl alcohol does not wipe them off.
The outer display also outlasted the inner one in the burn test, going more than 20 seconds before damage against about 10 seconds for the inner panel. On a second iPhone Duo, he peeled the cover layer off, and colors look brighter underneath but glare comes back, so he does not recommend doing it. Apple replaces the cover layer for $49, or $19 with AppleCare+.
