"Cracked in Less Than 20 Folds"... Apple's Foldable iPhone Rocks Market Just 4 Days After Launch

[Anchor]

Apple's first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, has become embroiled in durability controversies immediately upon its release. Although it has enjoyed explosive popularity—triggering shortages despite a price tag exceeding 3 million won—users are continuously reporting issues with screens cracking while folding and unfolding the device.

Reporter Hong Yeongjae has the story.

[Reporter]

A man who purchased Apple's new foldable phone noticed a clear line running from the center to the right side of his new phone's display after getting into his vehicle.

The social media account that shared the video stated that the screen cracked "before even arriving home," using the term "crackgate" to describe the situation.

Although Apple's first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, was released worldwide only four days ago, reports of damage are flooding online, with claims that the screen cracked after being folded fewer than 20 times.

In particular, the locations and patterns of the screen defects are remarkably similar across cases.

In the vast majority of instances, the problem originates around the hinge, which is the folding part of the display.

Because it is a core and challenging technology for foldable phones, other manufacturers subject their devices to durability tests exceeding 500,000 folds.

Consumers are now raising questions regarding the durability of Apple's first foldable phone, given the company's usual emphasis on flawless build quality.

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 area and submerged it in water, abnormal symptoms appeared.

[YouTuber CuriousHagi: When water and dirt mixed together and got inside the hinge, it started making a squeaking noise.]

In tests conducted by another foreign YouTuber, a device exposed to sand failed to close completely, and applying pressure to fold it in the reverse direction caused the screen to break immediately.

Experts point out that there is a possibility of flaws not only in the component assembly process but also in the product design itself.

[Kim Hyunjae / Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Yonsei University: Since Apple designed the overall phone design and component assembly, I think there is a possibility that some error occurred during Apple's design phase.]

Apple has not yet released an official statement.

With initial supplies reported to be a scarce 8 million units, concerns are rising that exchanges will not be easy even amid durability controversies surrounding the high-priced product, which costs up to 3.29 million won.

(Photo courtesy of X account 'I Hate Apple', YouTube channels 'CuriousHagi' and 'JerryRigEverything') | Reported by Kim Hak-mo | Video editing by So Ji-hye | Design by Choi Jae-young
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.