--- title: "First iPhone Duo Units Found to Have a Soft Screen Crease: What's Wrong with the Hinge Coating" description: "Early owners of the foldable iPhone Duo, who received the device before the official October 23 launch, are complaining about a soft coating in the crease area: the crease is almost visually invisible, but clearly felt to the touch." date: 2026-10-20T14:44:11.306Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/apple-iphone-duo-screen-crease-defect tags: [apple, iphone-duo, foldable-smartphone, display, tech-review] author: "Alexander Buran" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # First iPhone Duo Units Found to Have a Soft Screen Crease: What's Wrong with the Hinge Coating ![Hands holding an unfolded foldable Apple iPhone Duo smartphone with display and app icons](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/20/apple-iphone-duo-defekt-ekrana-v-zone-sgiba/apple-iphone-duo-defekt-ekrana-v-zone-sgiba-1.webp) ## Key Points - Official iPhone Duo shipments start on October 23, 2026, but some users received the device early and noticed issues with the crease coating. - Apple, unlike Samsung, used a soft protective coating instead of ultra-thin UTG glass, which makes layer replacement cheaper in case of scratches. - Early users note that the crease is visually nearly invisible but distinctly palpable, and finger-edge pressure can leave noticeable indentations. - Durability is currently unknown; final conclusions regarding screen reliability will be possible after the device's mass market release. Official shipments of Apple's first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, are set to start on Friday, October 23, 2026. However, according to RBC-Ukraine citing tech reviewer Ice Universe on X, some users received the device a few days early and have already noticed issues with the display coating in the folding area. Early access to the device has revealed nuances that were not visible during presentations, and these are now raising the most questions among early owners. ### A Different Philosophy: Soft Coating Instead of UTG During initial reviews at the launch event, analysts and bloggers praised Apple for a virtually invisible crease on the iPhone Duo screen. Real-world usage experience, however, has shown the flip side of this decision. Cupertino implemented an approach that differs from competitors' strategy: while Samsung uses Ultra Thin Glass (UTG) in its Fold series to create a rigid surface, Apple opted for a softer protective coating. According to the developers' intentions, this should allow for relatively inexpensive layer replacement in case of scratches, but this very "softness" has become the source of initial complaints. ### What Early Users Are Reporting Early video reviews by real users demonstrate that the coating over the hinge turned out to be too soft. A Weibo user under the handle Kang, who gained hands-on access to the device, reported that the screen crease feels unexpectedly soft to the touch: pressing in this area with a fingernail or finger edge can leave noticeable creases. According to him, this behavior is reproducible across multiple devices, ruling out a one-off defect. This raises questions about how the design relates to the variable-thickness UTG mentioned in leaks — with a thinner central folding area and thicker surrounding zones: Apple may have chosen a fundamentally different way to manage stress around the fold. ### Visually Almost Invisible, Tactilely Different An important nuance pointed out by early reviews is the gap between visual and tactile perception. When the screen is simply on and untouched, the crease is barely noticeable. However, when sliding a finger across the center line of the display, it becomes not only clearly visible but also physically palpable, as the hinge zone bends under pressure. It is this combination of "invisibility at rest" and "softness upon contact" that sets the iPhone Duo apart from competitor solutions, where the surface in the crease area usually feels much harder. ### Durability in Question It remains unknown how this design will behave over time. On many foldable smartphones, the crease becomes more prominent as the number of folding and unfolding cycles increases, and a soft coating theoretically might wear out faster than rigid glass. More constructive and comprehensive conclusions about screen reliability can only be made after the mass market release of the device and the accumulation of statistics from a large number of users. Currently, the recorded observations apply to a limited number of early samples and should be viewed as preliminary. ## Fact-Check & Sources - [Риск быстрого износа: у первых iPhone Duo обнаружили неожиданный дефект экрана](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/rizik-shvidkogo-znosu-pershih-iphone-duo-1792502829.html) - RBC-Ukraine, citing Ice Universe (X) and Weibo user Kang, reports on the soft coating in the crease area of early iPhone Duo samples; observations pertain to a limited number of devices prior to mass shipments on Oct 23, 2026. ## FAQ ### When do official iPhone Duo shipments start? According to reports, official shipments of Apple's first foldable smartphone begin on Friday, October 23, 2026, although some users received the device a few days early. ### What is the discovered screen issue? Early users report that the coating in the crease area is too soft: the crease is barely visible visually, but distinctly felt to the touch, and pressing with a finger edge can leave noticeable marks. ### How does Apple's approach differ from Samsung's? Samsung uses Ultra Thin Glass (UTG) for a rigid surface in its Folds, whereas Apple opted for a softer protective coating that can be replaced relatively inexpensively if scratched. ### How does this affect device durability? It is currently unknown: on many foldables, the crease becomes more prominent with use. Comprehensive conclusions on reliability will follow after the device's widespread market release.