[Anchor]
Apple's first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, has been embroiled in controversy right after its release. Reports are piling up of screens cracking near the folding area just hours after purchase.
Reporter Hong Yeongjae has the details.
[Reporter]
A man who purchased Apple's new foldable phone noticed a distinct line running from the center to the right of his brand-new phone screen after getting into his car.
The social media account that shared the video stated that "the screen cracked before even making it home," using a term for fractures to declare that a so-called "crackgate" has erupted.
Online, reports of damage are mounting, with claims that screens cracked after folding the new device fewer than 20 times.
In particular, the locations and patterns of the screen issues are largely similar.
In the vast majority of cases, the problem starts at the folding section known as the hinge.
Because this is a core technology for foldable phones that is difficult to implement, other manufacturers subject their devices to durability tests of more than 500,000 folds and unfolds.
Consumers are raising questions about the durability of Apple's first foldable phone, given the company's emphasis on flawless craftsmanship.
Apple explained that the iPhone Duo boasts an IP68 rating, the highest grade for dust and water resistance. However, when a domestic YouTuber sprinkled sand on the hinge and submerged the phone in water, abnormal symptoms appeared.
[YouYuber 'CuriousHagi': When water and dirt mix together and get inside the hinge, it starts making a creaking noise.]
In tests by another foreign YouTuber, a device with sand inside failed to close completely, or its screen broke easily when force was applied to bend it in the opposite direction.
Experts point out the possibility of flaws not only in the component assembly process but also in the product design itself.
[Kim Hyun-jai / Professor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Yonsei University: Since Apple designed the overall phone design and component assembly, I think there is a chance that some mistake was made during Apple's design phase.]
Apple has not yet released any official statement.
With initial supplies reportedly falling short of the estimated 8 million units, concerns are rising that even exchanges will not be easy amidst controversy over the durability of the high-priced product, which costs up to 3.29 million won.
(Video reporting: Kim Hak-mo | Video editing: So Ji-hye | Design: Choi Jae-young | Video sources: X account 'I Hate Apple', YouTube channels 'CuriousHagi' and 'JerryRigEverything')
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