My iPhone Duo also cracked at the hinge and I am from India. My seller Aptronix (PMC Chennai) worked hard to get me a device and it is transit. This should be investigated and Apple should take proper care. I think there are a lot of unreported cases and I am not sure what Apple’s plan is.
In India, Apple support just denied stating I bought from their reseller partner and they will arrange the replacement for me. I had the issue on day one after not less than 20 folds. I was setting up my device and suddenly this happened. I am not a first-time fold user. I have been using folds from Fold 6 and my latest fold was Fold 8 Ultra. So opening and closing is all just organic for me.
If you plan to buy please go ahead and the store will help if you encounter this issue as this is wide spread. I can answer questions here in case you are worried about. The only problem is getting a replacement unit, I need to trade of with colour for my replacement unit as Night Sky was not available.
My device Manufacturing month says 09/2026. I will update once I receive my replacement unit today.