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iFixit rates iPhone Duo 5/10, highest among foldables it has scored
iFixit said Apple's first foldable is the most repairable it has taken apart, with a provisional 5/10 score, while inner-screen and hinge work remain difficult and some owners report cracks.
- iFixit is now reporting this
- New headline Was: “iPhone Duo Teardown”
- Our desk filed its story
Repair site iFixit published a teardown of Apple's first folding iPhone, the iPhone Duo, and assigned it a provisional 5 out of 10 for repairability, the highest score it said it has given a foldable smartphone1.
The score is provisional because iFixit said it is still waiting on replacement parts through Apple's self-service program1. Apple has published a repair manual, iFixit said1.
iFixit said Apple carried over electrically releasable battery adhesive from recent iPhones, so both cells can be released with power instead of prying, and that the outer display and inner-display trim came off intact1. Smaller parts sit in a relatively flat layout, though five screwdriver types were needed1.
The inner display and hinge drove the largest deductions1. iFixit said out-of-warranty inner-screen damage is listed at $999, and that replacing the cover layer costs $49 without AppleCare or $19 with it1. It said Apple is offering replacement units for some early failures1.
iFixit cited owner reports of cracks and bright lines along the fold, including during setup1. Using a 3D model from teardown footage, patents and CT scans, it said reported breaks cluster near a transition from a flex-cable gap to a central hinge support1. One simulation showed a center support bar that does not drop far enough, creating a stress hotspot near that location1. iFixit presented that as a possible cause, not a confirmed one1.
A fluorescent-powder test put dust into the USB-C port, speaker mesh and hinge, enough to make the hinge crunch, though iFixit said less powder reached the mechanism than in similar tests of the Galaxy Z Fold8 and Pixel 11 Pro Fold1. Cleaning the hinge requires removing the flexible display, it said1.
iFixit said a matte nano-texture cover scatters light and helps hide the crease, and that the display still works if that layer is removed1. Apple documents a cover-layer replacement that uses specialized fixtures1.
iFixit said it would still point repair-first buyers to conventional phones, and that inner-display and hinge access should improve in a later Duo1.
