- The iFixit teardown of the new iPhone Duo from Apple is here
- iFixit says Apple has "done well" with the repairability of its foldable
- However, there are still some potential weaknesses in the design
The teardown and repair experts over at iFixit have put the new Apple iPhone Duo through their rigorous examination process, and there are positives and negatives to take. A repairability score of 5 out of 10 is the best iFixit has ever given to a foldable phone, but there are pain points, and areas of potential weakness.
We've embedded the teardown video below, and you can read more at the iFixit blog, but the highlights are an outer screen and a couple of battery cell units that are relatively easy to remove. The outer trim of the foldable came away intact too, which the iFixit team notes wasn't the case with the Galaxy Z Fold 8.
Applying dust that glows under ultraviolet light, the teardown showed some of it reaching the hinge mechanism. While the hinge didn't gather as much dust as the Pixel 11 Pro Fold or the Galaxy Z Fold 8, enough got into the hinge for it to start crunching (it's worth noticing the iPhone Duo let in dust in the JerryRigEverything durability test too).
Apple has given the iPhone Duo an IP68 rating for protection against dust and water, but in terms of dust at least, you really can't take any chances with this foldable. "We hoped Apple would solve this problem, but sadly it seems like the Duo's got the same dirt-phobia as its folding cousins," writes the iFixit team.
Cracked screens and hidden hinges
iFixit also comes up with an explanation for the cracked screen problem being reported by some iPhone Duo owners. Apparently, it could be down to stress caused by the main display crease putting pressure on the central support bar for the hinge – though further investigations will be needed to know for sure.
Another party of the teardown takes a close look at the gears, springs, and metal joints that Apple has constructed the iPhone Duo's hinge out of, and there's a detailed description of how Apple has applied a "very good disguise" for the crease on the main display, through the arrangement of pixels and the screen's matte nano-texture finish.
If an iPhone Duo repair is required, it's the main, inner screen and the hinge that are going to be the biggest problem, according to iFixit: because of the complicated way that's been assembled and put together, it "takes a lot of work", a lot of time, and a lot of money if you need to get these parts of the iPhone Duo looking like new again.
"For a first attempt, Apple has done well," concludes the iFixit team when summarizing the teardown and durability test. "The easy battery removal alone is something we'd like to see on every foldable. But you'd better baby that screen, Duo owners. And maybe quit carrying around that pocket sand."
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