Apple iPhone Duo Launch Was Rushed? What A Foxconn Employee Said

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-Divyanshi Sharma

Published: Friday,
October 30, 2026, 9:02 [IST]

Apple took nearly seven years to enter the foldable smartphone market. It watched Samsung, Huawei and other brands launch multiple generations of foldable phones before finally introducing the iPhone Duo a couple of days back. And we all know what happened next.

Soon after the phone reached customers, reports of cracked inner displays, software glitches and creaking hinges began to surface. Now, an anonymous Foxconn employee has reportedly claimed that Apple was so keen to get the iPhone Duo ready for launch that it lowered its quality control standards to produce enough units.

That is a serious allegation, and it has not been independently verified. Read on to know more.

Did Apple Lower Its Quality Control Standards?

As mentioned already, an anonymous Foxconn employee, according to a 91Mobiles report, originally attributed to a Chinese outlet, said that Apple relaxed its quality control standards to get more iPhone Duo units ready for launch.

For the unversed, Foxconn is one of Apple’s major manufacturing partners and assembles iPhones for the company. According to the report, production yields remained low as October approached, leaving Apple under pressure to build enough devices for its planned launch.

The timing may have made things even more difficult. Apple had reportedly committed to releasing the iPhone Duo after the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, leaving little room to push the launch back. The employee claimed that Apple lowered its quality checks to meet the deadline.

However, there is no independent confirmation that Apple actually did this. It is also unclear whether any alleged changes to quality control contributed to the reported display failures.

iPhone Duo Screen Cracks: What Is Happening?

A lot of users reported issues with the iPhone Duo’s inner folding display, within hours after its launch. Some early users found cracks appearing near the centre of the screen, with visible lines and dead or stuck pixels. In other cases, the display has allegedly become unresponsive or stopped working altogether.

The issue has been dubbed ‘Crackgate’ online. Reports suggest that a component beneath the inner display, close to the hinge, could be moving out of place and pressing against the screen when the phone is folded or unfolded. However, the exact cause of the damage has not been confirmed.

Apart from this, the iPhone Duo has faced a few other problems since launch as well. Some users have complained about apps behaving inconsistently when switching between the outer and inner displays. Others have reported unresponsive interface elements, issues with the external display’s sidebar and creaking noises when folding the phone.

The under-display camera has also reportedly drawn criticism.

However, not all of these problems are necessarily connected. Software glitches could potentially be addressed through an update, while a faulty display or hinge may require a repair or replacement. At this point, there is no evidence that all the reported issues share the same cause or affect every iPhone Duo.

Still, the reports make for an uncomfortable start for Apple’s first foldable. A phone with two displays needs to switch between them reliably, while its hinge should feel smooth and sturdy during everyday use.

Should You Buy the iPhone Duo?

If you are thinking of getting your hands on the iPhone Duo, it may be worth waiting for more clarity on the reported screen cracks and Apple’s response. The company’s repair and warranty guidance, along with any changes made to the manufacturing process, could help users understand how it is addressing the problem.

The full extent of the reported failures is still unknown, and isolated defects do not necessarily mean that every unit is affected. But with a first-generation foldable, the potential cost and inconvenience of a hardware issue are worth thinking about.