A bend test by YouTuber Zach Nelson flexed the $2,000 iPhone Duo’s frame and left cracks on its main screen, first reported by Cnet. The result carries a practical caution against sitting on the Duo while its main screen is open, even though it handled chainmail easily in a separate test.
Nelson posted the nearly 15-minute video on his JerryRigEverything YouTube channel a day after Apple’s foldable iPhone hit stores, with lines of people queued up to buy the new device. The video focused on scratch resistance and bendability.
Nelson ran scratch tests on both the cover and inner screens. He praised Apple’s Ceramic Shield 2 glass on the cover screen; the inner screen, despite its nano-texture finish, scratched as easily as the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s nonmatte folding display.
The other tests used dirt, dust, pebbles and chainmail. The chainmail was not confirmed to be from the Middle Ages. The phone handled it easily, and Nelson partly credited the inner screen’s matte finish, which seemed to hide imperfections.
Nelson then opened the Duo’s inner screen and tried bending it backward a few times. The frame flexed, and cracks appeared on the main 7.6-inch screen.
The tests produced different results: the phone handled chainmail easily, while separate screen checks showed scratches and cracks.
CNET senior technology reporter Abrar Al-Heeti recommends a case and AppleCare, or being prepared to pay for repairs. CNET’s custom Fold-a-Phone machine is currently testing how many times Apple’s foldable can be opened and closed.