Flexible iPhone Duo screen began flickering after bend test
Chinese tech blogger Tim (Pan Tianhong) discovered a durability issue with the iPhone Duo. After slightly bending the unfolded smartphone backward, its outer screen began to flicker. The blogger found no visible damage to the body or hinge.
Tim conducted the test on a demo iPhone Duo after Apple’s presentation. According to him, he only slightly bent the unfolded smartphone in the direction opposite to its normal folding and did not apply much force. Immediately afterward, no issues were noticeable.
The malfunction was discovered later when the MediaStorm team reviewed the footage. The video shows that after bending, the iPhone Duo’s external screen began to flicker. The exact cause of the failure is unknown: since the device has not been disassembled, it is not yet possible to link the issue to a damaged flex cable or another component.
The case is notable against the backdrop of Apple’s claims regarding the durability of the iPhone Duo’s construction. The smartphone features a titanium frame, a hinge with more than 100 components, and internal chassis reinforcements. The flexible display is further protected by a titanium plate and a multi-layer system designed to reduce stress during folding.
However, a single such experiment does not allow one to judge the reliability of all iPhone Duo models. Moreover, bending an unfolded smartphone in the opposite direction goes beyond normal usage scenarios. Tim himself believes that what happened demonstrates the difference in durability margins between foldable and traditional smartphones.
