• Published

Apple says it will replace iPhone Duo handsets that have developed problems with their screens just days after the highly-anticipated smartphone went on sale.

Photos posted by social media users show lines that appeared on the screens of the technology giant's first ever foldable device, which has a starting price of £1,999 ($2,668) in the UK.

Apple said it is aware of "an issue impacting the inner display on a small number" of units and urged affected users to contact the company for a replacement.

The Duo's launch, which attracted long queues at Apple stores around the world last week, comes as the brand tries to reinvigorate its catalogue and challenge the foldable phones offered by rivals.

Some Duo owners also posted photos online showing cracks along the screen's centre crease, while others reported a crunching noise when opening the device.

An iPhone Duo user, Justin Lokos, posted an image of a device with lines across the right side of the display and later uploaded a picture of a new handset alongside the broken one, thanking an Apple store in New York for its help.

The extent of the issue remains unclear. Apple did not say how many devices were affected, while some images showing faulty devices may have been created using artificial intelligence.

The Duo's 7.6-inch (19.3cm) inner display is held together by a central hinge - a complex piece of engineering that has resulted in flaws in the folding devices made by some of Apple's competitors.

Samsung's first foldable phone, the Galaxy Fold, suffered an early setback in 2019 when reviewers reported broken screens on the devices.

Android users already have a broad selection of foldable phones to choose from, technology that Apple spent years developing before the Duo's release.

The folding device is Apple's most expensive iPhone ever, costing up to £3,199 for the most well-equipped models.

The Duo marks Apple's first major iPhone redesign in almost two decades and was unveiled by new chief executive John Ternus, who took over from Tim Cook in September.

When closed, the Duo looks like a wider version of an iPhone, then opens up to a device resembling a small tablet computer.

"Others have created foldables that just feel like two phones awkwardly stuck together", Ternus told an audience at Apple's California headquarters last month.

The Duo, he said, would "redefine the experience of using a foldable phone".

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