Soon after Apple’s foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, went on sale, users have filed a string of reports saying the inner display cracked on its own and was damaged.

NineToFiveMac reported on Oct. 25 that the cases confirmed so far largely showed similar damage patterns.

The damaged devices showed screens splitting along the center hinge line. Some pixels on the display then remained white in horizontal bands. About 10 reports from different users have been confirmed so far. Similar accounts have also been posted in online communities related to the iPhone Duo, but the overall scale of the problem has not yet been determined.

The timing of the damage varied by user. Still, the issue was reported soon after sales began, and some users said the screen broke during the initial setup process.

Many users who bought the product at Apple Stores were reported to have visited shops and received replacements. Users who bought through mobile carriers sometimes faced difficulties because replacement stock was not immediately available. One user said they were told the device was damaged from being dropped and that they would have to pay repair costs themselves.

A possible defect in a hinge component has been raised as a cause. One hypothesis is that, in some production batches, a misalignment in the hinge parts caused a component to push the inner display upward, which may have damaged the screen. No official investigative findings supporting this have been released so far.

Some users advise against pressing the center of the inner display when folding the device. It has not been confirmed whether that usage is related to the damage. Apple has also not released separate handling guidelines to follow when folding or unfolding the device.

It is difficult to judge the scale of the issue across all products based only on the cases reported so far. The outlet said Apple may have already shipped hundreds of thousands to millions of units, and the damage reports could amount to only a portion of total shipments. Still, as multiple users reported the same type of damage in similar locations, calls have been raised to check whether there is a defect in certain production batches.

Apple is not stating an official position. Attention is focused on whether an official statement and investigation results will clarify whether there is a hinge component defect and what caused the screen damage.

Could it be an inherent defect in the iPhone Duo? They say cracks with similar symptoms in similar areas are occurring here and there around the world.. https://t.co/O65Ov5AuZc