Apple's iPhone Duo launches to tight supply, anecdotal hinge-crack reports and mixed reviews

Apple began selling the iPhone Duo, its first foldable iPhone, on Friday, October 23, at Apple Store locations worldwide, on apple.com and in the Apple Store app. The U.S. starting price is $1,999. Supply is tight: MacRumors reported on October 24 that Apple Store pickup reservations resumed in the U.S. and Canada but most stores had no slots, and recalled Apple saying demand was "nothing short of extraordinary," with delivery estimates into late January.

Within hours of the launch, photos on Reddit and X appeared to show cracked inner screens along the hinge. The Verge described "a few units" based on Reddit posts, including an Australian user whose screen broke after fewer than 20 openings and whose phone an Apple Store swapped on the spot; Apple had not replied to a request for comment. Cult of Mac called these "just anecdotal reports," noted most pictures lack context, and said it was too early to call it "Crackgate". Mashable said users from the U.S. to Australia to China have reported the problem, while stressing it is unclear how widespread it is.

The Verge's review, published October 21, called the Duo "a messy, expensive good time," citing camera compromises, a crease you can feel and mostly unoptimized apps. Tom's Guide argued the Duo beats Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 in several areas, including its water and dust rating and its battery test. Apple published a 22-entry repair manual, but its Self Service Repair Store lacks Duo parts.

On the competitive side, Samsung UK said in a blog post that Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra sales in Europe are up 45 percent from a year earlier since their August launch; Mashable called the link to Apple circumstantial. For AAPL, what to watch is whether the crack reports grow beyond anecdotes or draw an Apple response, how quickly pickup and delivery times ease, and the October 30 expansion to 28 more countries and regions.