Utah YouTuber does ultimate durability test on the iPhone Duo by pushing it to its limits and discovers surprising details
Apple’s foldable iPhone Duo has been put through its paces in a series of brutal durability tests, and the results might make you think twice before buying one.
The device combines a premium titanium frame with a flexible inner display, but there’s a catch when it comes to keeping it in perfect condition.
A YouTuber known for testing how much punishment smartphones can take, JerryRigEverything, decided to find out exactly where Apple’s latest device might fall short.
And while some of its features impressed him, others didn’t fare quite so well.
The iPhone Duo’s screen has a clever trick to hide scratches
Apple’s most anticipated gadget has been the foldable iPhone Duo.
The iPhone Duo’s outer display got off to a promising start during the scratch test, with its Ceramic Shield 2 glass resisting marks until around level seven on the Mohs hardness scale.
Things got a lot more interesting when the YouTuber moved on to the flexible inner screen.
Despite Apple’s use of multiple ultra-thin glass layers and a special matte nano-texture coating, the folding display started scratching at level two, with deeper marks appearing at fingernail level.
That sounds pretty worrying for an iPhone that likely won’t come cheap, but the matte coating has a clever trick up its sleeve.
When the display is switched on, many of the scratches become much harder to see, but switch it off, though, and those marks come straight back.
The YouTuber even removed the coating from a second iPhone Duo to see what was underneath.
Without the matte finish, the display looked much more vibrant, although glare became far more noticeable.
Apple reportedly offers to replace a damaged nano-texture surface layer for $49, while replacing the entire inner display could cost around $1,000.
That’s quite the difference between a small scratch and a seriously expensive accident.
Dust turned out to be the iPhone Duo’s biggest enemy
The scratch test wasn’t the only challenge the foldable had to face.
Despite its IP68 water and dust resistance rating, the iPhone Duo struggled when the YouTuber introduced sand, dust, and dirt.
The debris appeared to work its way into the hinge, preventing the magnets from pulling the two halves of the phone together.
That left the device stuck open, with the hinge unable to close properly even though the magnets were still doing their job.
It’s an unexpected problem for a phone designed to fold away neatly, especially if you regularly take your devices to the beach or use them outdoors.
The YouTuber also examined the phone’s titanium construction, its two 48-megapixel rear cameras, and the magnets used for wireless charging.
While the premium materials and clever design impressed him, the hinge problem raised questions about how well the device might cope with everyday grime.
The final bend test ended in an expensive disaster
The most dramatic moment came when the YouTuber tested how much bending the iPhone Duo could withstand.
At first, the phone’s body held together, but the inner display wasn’t so lucky.
A permanent green line appeared across the screen, stretching from the center toward the titanium frame. After another bend, additional lines appeared, and the display eventually stopped responding to touch.
The phone’s body remained intact, but its inner screen was effectively ruined.
With a reported replacement cost of around $1,000, that’s an expensive reminder that a premium frame doesn’t necessarily mean a damage-proof phone.
The YouTuber couldn’t say for certain whether the dust-compromised hinge or the hinge’s flexibility was primarily responsible for the failure.
He also examined Apple’s two launch cases, priced at $80 and $130, noting that neither fully protects every vulnerable part of the device.
His verdict was that the iPhone Duo has some clever engineering, particularly when it comes to disguising scratches on its inner display, but dust and pressure could spell trouble.
For anyone thinking about buying a foldable phone, keeping the hinge clean and avoiding pressure on the open device could be just as important as protecting its glass.