Apple's First Foldable iPhone Entangled in Durability Controversy After Screen Cracks Within Minimal Uses

[Anchor]

Apple's first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, has been embroiled in durability controversies right after its release. Cases of screens cracking just hours after purchase are emerging one after another.

Reporter Hong Yeongjae has the details.

[Reporter]

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

The social media account that shared this video stated, "The screen cracked before even arriving home," using a term related to fractures to describe what it called a "crack gate" unfolding.

Online, reports of damage are continuing, with users claiming that the screen cracked after folding the new product fewer than 20 times.

Notably, the locations and patterns of the issues found on the screens are mostly similar.

In the vast majority of cases, the problem began at the area where the screen folds, known as the hinge.

Because it is a core technology of foldable phones that is difficult to implement, other manufacturers subject their devices to durability tests involving folding and unfolding them more than 500,000 times.

Consumers are raising questions about the durability of the first foldable phone from Apple, a company that has emphasized flawless craftsmanship.

Apple explained that the iPhone Duo holds an IP68 rating, meaning it is at the highest grade in terms of dust and water resistance. However, when a domestic YouTuber conducted an experiment by sprinkling sand on the hinge and submerging it in water, abnormal symptoms appeared.

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

In a test by another foreign YouTuber, a product infiltrated with sand failed to close completely, or its screen broke instantly when force was applied to bend it in the reverse direction.

Experts point out the possibility of issues 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 a mistake was made during Apple's design phase.]

Apple has not yet issued any official statement.

With even the initial batch, reported at 8 million units, falling short of demand, concerns are rising that even getting replacements will not be easy amid durability controversies over the high-priced product, which costs up to 3.29 million KRW.

(Photo: X account 'I Hate Apple', YouTube channels 'CuriousHagi' and 'JerryRigEverything')

Reported by Hong Yeongjae | Video by Kim Hak-mo | Video Editing by So Ji-hye | Graphics by Choi Jae-young
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.