That's the exact failure that happened on the bend test for Zak on JerryRigEverything. Crazy it's happening without the full-muscle stress test.

The article says that the best guess is there's a physical part of the hinge about there that must be perfectly aligned, and if it isn't then that specific screen is eventually doomed.

Yeah, this boils down to a manufacturing engineering problem. There's some process happening during assembly that's resulting in these slipping by... or being allowed by.

EDIT: And I mean, yeah, the thing could've been designed better from the get go, but that ship sailed long ago.

The phone was never for me, but I very strongly suspected this would happen.

I’m surprised it became a noticeable problem this quickly. I was gonna give it a few more months before the failures started happening.

Every phone maker seems convinced that if they can be the one to make this work, they'll be the champion of world forever, or something.

I can't understand why a user would even want this. How many users do want this?

I wanted one. I tried to buy one. It sold out faster than I could click add to cart.

I currently have an iPhone 16 pro max and it isn’t big enough. I liked the idea of having a bigger screen on-demand, in a portable cellular form factor.

I like the idea of it, but I can live without it.

A foldable phone has the benefits of a tablet (screen size) and a phone (more compact), allowing you to alternate between the two at will. I can see the appeal.

I do. Consolidating my phone and tablet into a single device would be very convenient. Adding support for an external monitor, keyboard and mouse to replace my laptop would be even better. I didn't buy a Duo not because I don't want the product, but because I know they won't work well for another few iterations (at least).

Tbh, I figured Apple taking their time on these was because they were trying to improve the engineering over the Android folding screen offerings.

Now I wonder if they just wait because everyone assumes Apple would try and make it better, and then they just sell a bunch + the Apple tax, even though it's just as bad of a product. Like, the marketing team just saying: "wait a couple years".

Instead of a folding phone, I'd prefer to have a phone I only have to charge once a week. I don't know what the battery life is for the duo but I would think it's worse than the latest iPhone model.

Investors want repeats of the iPhone and social media revolution. They won't get it by making tweaks to the smartphone or social media platforms. Nothing will stop them from trying, but all of this is just spinning the wheels.

They still have to develop the software.

Even if they just clone the hardware.

Apple usually do the software more integrated than Android shipping phone companies.

It makes sense that it takes longer to do those integrations.

For me the price point is just becoming insane for even basic iPhones and the battery life is terrible

I'll join the chorus. If the price-point were right and the tech were reliable, I'd happily trade a good amount of thickness in order to have the option of an iPad Mini or an iPhone, but in the footprint of the latter when not in use. I really prefer to carry my phone in my front pocket and not to EDC a bag.

It's just that the price-point is wrong and the tech is not reliable.

Guys, we had the optimal form factor, the LG Wing, years ago! No folding displayed required!

I'm not even joking. I used mine for years and loved it.

True, but one might have hoped they were doing both in parallel. If no one can improve the hardware, these are going to go the way of 3D TVs, though due to reliability rather than annoyance and nausea.

Coworker of mine is having same issue right now. Crazy.

Hello its me, the ghost of utter shock and surprise.

Ha ha you've been bambolzled.

It is I, the ghost of sarcasm and Easily forseen circumstances.

Phone new
oogga booga
phone go squish
oogga booga

Samsung sabotaged them!

I kid…

Apple usually do the software more integrated than Android shipping phone companies.

And yet the software rollout has been very bungled, and added more fragmentation into the app store, adding a "designed for iphone duo" label and poor support for existing apps. About 10-15 years ago, this is something which Apple fanboys made fun of Android about.

Meh I like no tech and making attempts. I would never spend that money on a phone. I have never spent half that on a phone.

I like products not designed for absolutely everyone though, niche is nice

my old flip phones would go up to a month between charges. with the 2g/3g shutdown and the forced 'upgrade' to voLTE, i only do get about a week with the new phone now because the radios use more power.

These things would sell like hotcakes if they didn't cost so much and were reliable. People want them, the tech just isn't perfected yet, and who knows if the price will ever be reasonable.

Given Jobs didn't even want a larger iphone form factor, he's probably rolling in his grave by the fragmentation this causes.

You can't understand why someone would want phone that becomes a tablet? Really?

You're saying there's been zero times you're looking at something on your phone and would like a bigger screen for it? Not once have you had something on your phone and wished it was full size? Or gone to open it on a tablet or computer instead?

All those times i also wanted a mouse and keyboard.

For real. Just last weekend I was at a conference and realized that I left my tablet at home and the agenda/workbook for the event was PDF. I was pinching and scrolling with my iPhone while my colleague next to me opened up his Galaxy Fold and was reading everything fine. I mean, yeah, it's not a common need for me, but there's definitely use-cases for this--especially for people who have to read digital documents on the go a lot and don't want to have to carry extra devices just to do so.

Why would I want this? Because I'm sad and I fly around the world and I thought that instead of having a tablet and phone I could have it in one!

Then I listen to these tech YouTubers say that this is it! I bought my folding phone and I very rarely unfold it. Wasted so much money and I'm like bleh ...

Then guess what? I see the YouTubers say, last year's iteration wasn't it, but this year's one fixes it!

Urgh ...

Well yes, but I'm very good at saving things for later and watching it when I'm in front of the big screen at home 2 months later.

Having never owned a tablet, it’s either a phone or my pc monitor. I even have an iPhone 12 MINI, and I’m a bigger dude so it looks like a business card in my hand.

Guys, we had the optimal form factor, the LG Wing, years ago!
I used mine for years and loved it.

I genuinely thought this would be some old ass phone from when before smartphones were a thing.

It came out in 2020. The phone I'm typing this on came out 1,5 years after that.

Also what is this monstrosity??

I was all set to wait for a Motorola Razr with Graphene to drop (and finally be done with Apple) until I read the iFixit tear-down of the Duo and realized that all foldables are fragile and require extra care (that I, a surfer and parent of four children, cannot guarantee). I think now I'm going to get a Fairphone 6 with /e/

I can say as a Pixel 9 Pro Fold owner, I have used it. And never once have I really needed a full keyboard and mouse for what I'd even think of using my phone for.

I only use it for some mobile gaming, and websites that do very poorly on mobile despite that being the only online device for so many people nowadays.

Having actually use one as a daily driver for over a year,... it's not worth it. It's not worth the additional weight and bulk, carrying it around all the time for the handful of times I do use it. And without a significant battery increase to justify despite being literally twice as thick as a normal phone.

It'd be interesting to see a different world where Jobs were still alive and what Apple would have done differently. Jobs did have a history of hypocritical statements which basically boiled down to "Feature X sucks, no one wants it" until Apple would come out with the same feature, and then he'd say "Now that Apple re-engineered Feature X, it's perfect, buy it from us". I could see him selling the iPhone Duo but the difference would be he'd push for better app integration over the last 10 years ahead of launch so that it's not so janky.

Apple probably didn't plan for their planned obsolescence to work THIS quickly.

I bought my folding phone and I very rarely unfold it. Wasted so much money and I'm like bleh ..

Basically the experience I had with my first smartphone: I got it into my head that having a foldout QWERTY keyboard would make writing more than just short text messages on a phone less weird and that getting a Nokia would also help ease the transition from dumb to smart since most of my previous phones had been Nokias.

Turns out I quickly stopped using that keyboard and the Symbian OS Nokia used back then was compatible with like a dozen apps or so 🤦🏻

It's awesome multi-tasking bliss, and it's durable, and it's easy to repair if you do break it!

It's a first generation product. Remember the first Galaxy Fold and what a disaster that was? It's kinda like that (only more expensive).

Apple should have the benefit of hindsight but apparently not.

sand hyper accelerated my z flip 5's death. As much as I liked that phone, I'm not sure I'll get a foldable again because I normally like robust phones I can keep for ages with a little care

Hahahahaha

The concept is kinda cool. Take the Galaxy Fold 8 for example; a nice and compact phone that actually fits in your pocket and can be a tablet if you wanna watch a movie or something in bed or public transport.

I still wouldn't buy one; spending over a grand on a phone that even if it holds up fine can be damaged by accidentally tapping on the screen wrong seems dumb. Nevermind that I personally wouldn't buy a Samsung for multiple reasons.

I get the appeal, especially as I get older and my vision isn't as good. Having a screen that can be bigger as needed helps in a number of ways. That said, no way I'd buy one because I don't see how they survive in the long term.

Remember the iPhone 6?

Oh no.

I have no desire for this. Id rather have an old school folding style type phone that folds flush so when you open it the display is across two sections with a miniscule gap. Like a phone sized Nintendo ds. Instead we get DS sized phones that are awkward as hell with so many typea of clothing.

This is basically a tablet people, get a dam tablet, especially one that isnt 2000 USS. 😑

If given the choice between all these different sized iPhones and a foldable iphone, I do think from my completely uninformed view of him, that he'd maybe choose the foldable option heh. But ya it would be interesting to see the difference in how the company unfolded.