iFixit’s iPhone Duo teardown examines crease and hinge issues

iFixit gave Apple’s iPhone Duo a repairability score of 5/10, its highest score yet for a foldable phone, after taking the device apart. The teardown offers possible explanations for the display crease and reports of damaged screens and cracking hinges.

The inner display’s matte nano-texture cover helps with readability in bright sunlight and may also make the crease less visible by scattering reflections. Under a microscope, iFixit found oval-shaped subpixels arranged at different angles. The site believes they are intended to reduce visual artifacts and further mask the crease.

The outer nano-texture layer can be replaced without replacing the OLED beneath it. Repairing the display itself, however, is described as difficult and expensive. Dust entered the USB-C port, speaker grills and hinge, making the hinge feel “crunchy.” iFixit found less of this dust inside the phone than in the Z Fold8 or Pixel 11 Pro Fold.

For reports of damaged screens and cracking hinges, iFixit suspects part of the complex hinge may sometimes fail to descend properly. An accordion cable passes over that area near the battery’s edge. The site says this could concentrate pressure and lead to the “audible crack” reported by some users and to broken screens. Apple did not immediately respond to The Verge’s request for comment.