Social media and the iPhone Duo subreddit are abuzz with reports about the rapid and spectacular failure of Apple’s foldable device. Some users report having the phone for only a few hours before the hinge appears to catch on something and then audibly snaps and cracks the screen. It’s telling that all the cracks seem to occur in the same place.
YouTuber CuriousHagi was able to reproduce the cracked screen during some iPhone Duo durability tests. He then took it apart to try to find the culprit. What he discovered is that the Duo’s hinge is quite complex, consisting of a gear-shaped central hinge and two different types of link hinges.
The piece that broke is one of the links in the middle of the phone that happens to be thinner than the links below or above it, and broke in a small notch where it would be weakest. He also found marks where the hinge met the support plate, indicating where it may have become trapped.
