Apple’s iPhone Duo is showing early signs of hinge wear after CNET runs an extended stress test with its custom “Fold-a-Phone” rig. The device remains operational during the testing window, but the hinge’s resistance and motion timing start to degrade after hundreds of thousands of open-and-close cycles.
Across outlets, the agreed core detail is that the hinge begins to feel looser and the screen’s opening movement becomes incomplete as the folding count rises. After roughly 440,000 to 451,000 folds, the mechanism does not allow the screen to reach its full open state before the machine closes it again, with the usual “snap” no longer distinct. CNET also reports that the phone continues to hold other screen positions without visible cracking or blackout during this phase.
Coverage emphasizes different milestones rather than new findings. One report frames the update as nearing a “breaking point,” while others focus on the specific fold counts when the hinge behavior changes and note CNET’s plan to continue folding until preset failure conditions are met. Background context includes that Apple has not publicly detailed any internal test results, and some reporting relates display durability to third-party fold testing of OLED panels used in comparable devices.
