Apple’s iPhone Duo did not make it through JerryRigEverything’s durability test. Zack Nelson’s video, posted on October 23 US time, shows dust getting into the hinge despite Apple’s IP68 rating. A later bend test left a permanent green line on the inner display, and then that screen stopped responding.
This is one tester’s result on one unit, so it says nothing about failure rates. Still, Nelson made clear that the outcome is unusual for foldables he has tested.
I’ve been testing these folding phones since the first generation seven years ago – most do survive
That’s Nelson as quoted by MacRumors. In his test, the iPhone Duo was not one of the survivors.
Dust got past the iPhone Duo’s IP68 rating
Apple’s spec page lists the iPhone Duo as rated IP68 under IEC standard 60529. Even so, MacRumors reports that dust entered the hinge through several entry points. It built up enough to overwhelm the magnets that hold the phone shut.
This is the result most owners should pay attention to. Sand and pocket grit are everyday conditions, unlike a bend test. If you take the Duo to the beach or a dusty worksite, the rating alone may not protect the hinge. That’s going by this one unit, at least.
The bend test broke the inner screen
Nelson then bent the phone, including against its folding direction. That puts far more force on it than a pocket or bag would. It isn’t a guide to how the phone will fail in normal use.
MacRumors reports that the bend left a permanent green line across the inner display. The screen then became unresponsive. SammyFans adds that the hinge itself cracked, a detail MacRumors doesn’t mention. For comparison, Google’s foldable has its own track record here, as our Pixel 11 Pro Fold bend test coverage shows.
Scratch test and the nano-texture layer
The scratch results were more typical. According to MacRumors, the Ceramic Shield 2 outer screen showed scratches at level 7 on the Mohs scale. The inner screen marked at level 2. Nelson credited the matte nano-texture coating with making those marks seem to vanish.
He also peeled the protective matte layer off the inner screen. SammyFans says the panel looked brighter without it, but it was left without that protection. The video’s description advises owners not to try this themselves.
What this means for iPhone Duo owners
The video arrives days after some owners reported inner screens breaking at the hinge. Those reports are separate, and this test doesn’t explain or confirm them. If your inner display does need replacing, Apple’s iPhone Duo repair manual covers what the job involves.
For a foldable sold with an IP68 rating, dust in the hinge is the finding worth watching. Owners who spend time around sand or fine dust may want to be careful until more units are tested.
Source: JerryRigEverything, via MacRumors, SammyFans, Apple
