Six hours after it was unfolded, in fewer than 20 folds, the screen split.
Apple's answer: “a small number of devices.”
iPhone Duo
1.01 million won pricier, 53g heavier, with more than double the repair cost
- At 256GB, 3.29 million won vs. 2,278,100 won — 710,000 won more than even the Fold8 Ultra (2,577,300 won)
- Apple is offering free replacements following reports of screen cracks after the device's launch, saying the issue affects “a small number of devices,” but has not disclosed its cause or extent.
Duo
Z Fold8
256GB models. Fold8 repair cost assumes the damaged part is returned.
SEOUL, October 30 (AJP) - Apple's first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, has been engulfed in a “Crackgate” barely a week after launch. Reports of inner screens cracking or developing bright lines along the fold began pouring in on Oct. 23, the day the phone went on sale. One user in Australia claimed the screen near the hinge cracked about six hours after purchase, after fewer than 20 openings and closings.
Apple said on Oct. 26 that it was “aware of an issue impacting the inner display on a small number of iPhone Duo units” and told affected users to contact AppleCare for a replacement. It disclosed neither the cause nor the number of units affected. In South Korea, even replacement units are in short supply.
Consumers paid 3.29 million won ($2,455) in good faith. What did they get for that price, and what can they get back when something goes wrong?
and twice as costly to fix
256GB models. Read each bar to the end.
(out of warranty)774K won
2-yr coverage2.52M won
with coverageAbout 232K won
water resistanceIP48
repairability4/10
screen glare—
On specs, it's 4-4. What separates them is price, repair costs and the response once problems surfaced. The Fold8 has also drawn reports that the four corners of its inner screen sink when pressed, but Samsung has not issued an official statement. *Based on the eight categories compared in this story.
Fold8: 470,000 won less
Pre-tax prices compared at about 1,340 won per dollar
About 310,000 won (11.7%) more in Korea. Against the 3.29 million won retail price, which includes value-added tax, the gap is about 610,000 won.
About 470,000 won less in Korea.
Apple responds three days after launch.
- Launch day, and the first “cracked at the fold” reports
An Australian user claims a crack near the hinge about six hours after purchase, after fewer than 20 folds. New orders in Korea are quoted a Jan. 22 ship date.
- JerryRigEverything durability test
Dust gets into the hinge and weakens the magnetic closure. After the phone is bent backward, a green line appears and touch stops responding.
- Apple: ‘aware of an issue on a small number of devices’
Replacements offered through AppleCare. Cause and scale undisclosed. The same day, ITSub reports no problems after 100 folds, while a teardown by Curious Hagi finds a broken central hinge link.
- Teardown videos pile up
JerryRigEverything: “The damage is concentrated where the screen meets internal hinge parts — a design problem.” Colorscale: “If the gears slip out of alignment, the thinnest support can break.”
- Apple announces free replacements
Apple says iPhone Duo units with a confirmed internal display defect will be replaced free of charge, regardless of where they were bought or whether they are covered by AppleCare+.
- CNET robot test passes 125,000 folds
The test continues until the phone fails. Apple has not disclosed an official fold rating.
- 1Report the symptoms in Apple's Support app
- 2Inspection at an Apple Store or authorized service provider
- 3Replaced only if judged a “defect”If not → out-of-warranty repair at 1,649,000 won
- 4Replacement, but stock is short in Korea
Where the phone was bought and AppleCare+ status do not matter. Apple says replacements are proceeding without disruption.
Results vary
All are unofficial tests of individual devices.
*Bar lengths are scaled to 125,000 folds. JerryRigEverything ran a stress test (dust plus bending), not a fold count.
Let's open the door.
We may have grown numb because it's a smartphone. What if the same thing happened to a home appliance? Use the button below to open and close the door yourself.
How Apple and Samsung responded when defect controversies broke. Cases in which Samsung also drew criticism are included.
Downplay → public backlash → partial fix: the recurring pattern in Apple's defect controversies.
When users complained that gripping a certain spot weakened reception, Steve Jobs replied, “Just avoid holding it in that way.” As criticism mounted, Apple handed out free bumper cases.
Downplay → fix after the factAs videos of bending phones spread, Apple said only nine customers had contacted it about bending in the first six days of sales — wording that echoes this week's “small number of devices.”
Downplayed with numbersApple was found to have slowed older iPhones without notice. It apologized and discounted battery replacements. It settled a US class action for up to $500 million and paid fines in France and Italy, but plaintiffs in a Korean damages suit joined by about 60,000 people lost at the first trial in 2024.
Compensation abroad, loss in KoreaSwapping devices for refurbished units instead of making partial repairs was long a top complaint in Korea. In 2017, the Fair Trade Commission ordered Apple's authorized service providers to fix unfair terms, including a rule that repairs could not be canceled once requested.
FTC corrective orderAfter a Fair Trade Commission probe into claims that Apple pushed advertising and repair costs onto Korean mobile carriers, a consent decree was finalized with a 100 billion won ($74.6 million) support package.
Voluntary remedy instead of sanctions“A small number of devices” and replacements through AppleCare. Cause and scale undisclosed. Replacement stock is short in Korea, and new orders ship in three months. Out-of-warranty inner screen repair costs 1,649,000 won.
Cause and scale undisclosedTwo weeks after launch, the company's president personally apologized and announced a full recall. Samsung ultimately discontinued the phone and, the following January, held a press conference disclosing a battery defect as the cause.
Apology · full recall · cause disclosedWhen review units developed screen defects before launch, Samsung delayed the release, reinforced the hinge and protective layer, and launched the phone five months later.
Launch delayed · design fixedOnly after criticism grew over forced throttling of game performance did Samsung apologize and release an update that let users turn it off. A class action was also filed in Korea.
Criticized as slow to respondSamsung has made no official statement on reports that the four corners of the inner screen sink toward the frame when pressed.
No response| Response | Apple · Duo (2026) | Samsung · Galaxy Note7 (2016) |
|---|---|---|
| Admitting the defect | “A small number of devices” — scale undisclosed | President apologized; full recall |
| Disclosing the cause | None | Press conference, including independent investigations |
| Consumer options | Replacement through AppleCare | Exchange or refund |
| Stock in Korea | Replacement stock short; new orders ship in January | — |
*A fire-prone product and a cracked screen cannot be compared on severity. This table compares only how transparent the responses were.
How much would you put up with?
Six questions · about one minute. Pick your answers to see your result and your rights as a consumer.
- Major defect within 10 days of purchase → exchange or refund recommended (Consumer Dispute Settlement Criteria)
- Two-year quality warranty on products bought in Korea; defects in normal use qualify for free repair or replacement
- If the company won't resolve it: 1372 Consumer Counseling Center, or a damage relief request with the Korea Consumer Agency
- Prices, weight, repair costs and coverage plans: public data from Apple Korea and Samsung Electronics, and industry figures as of Oct. 29, 2026. Exchange rate: about 1,340 won per dollar.
- Durability tests: public videos and livestreams by JerryRigEverything, ITSub, Kuba Klawiter, Joanna Stern, CNET, Curious Hagi and Colorscale. All are unofficial tests of a single device.
- Cause analysis: iFixit teardown report and YouTubers' teardown videos (speculative, not confirmed by Apple).
- Consumer rights: Consumer Dispute Settlement Criteria, a Fair Trade Commission notice.
- Photos and video: Apple's website, social media reports and screenshots from JerryRigEverything's YouTube channel. The crack and logo split in the intro are dramatizations.
- The thumbnail is a scene from Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Z Fold8 ad, which takes aim at Apple's first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo. / Captured from a Samsung Electronics ad
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