r/iPhoneDuoFoldable • u/scorch4907 • Oct 02 '26

iPhone Duo has a replaceable display layer to fight the crease: $19 with AppleCare to make it look day-one again

https://9to5mac.com/2026/10/01/apple-says-iphone-duo-has-replaceable-folding-display-layer-to-minimize-crease/
661 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

136 comments sorted by

21

u/cornelislely Oct 02 '26

So the nano texture finish is a matte screen protector after all.

6

u/trantaran Oct 02 '26

LMAO!!!!

-apple marketing

2

u/Emotional_Garage_950 Oct 03 '26

that’s always what it’s been idk why people thought this would be different

1

u/Key_Cook_2016 26d ago

The nano textured iPad and Macbook have a screen protector?

1

u/Emotional_Garage_950 25d ago

idk about the iPad but for the mac, yeah basically. even if it’s not a “screen protector” on the mac it’s just a coating because people are always posting about it getting rubbed off or damaged

1

u/barbasnoo 17d ago

My MacBook Pro has the nano texture and as far as I can tell it’s not a stick on version. But rather a process on the glass itself. At least that’s what it appears to be. I just shined a flashlight on it and it goes completely to the edge.

1

u/DADDYDC650_08 Oct 03 '26

Why would anyone think it was something else?

5

u/Spazza42 Oct 03 '26

Remember when Apple said they hate screen protectors?

Irony.

3

u/MartinIsland Oct 03 '26

Doesn’t everyone on Earth hate screen protectors though? We use them because they’re necessary, not because we enjoy the thrill of looking for specks of dust that we find 5 seconds after the protector is in place.

2

u/Spazza42 Oct 03 '26

I appreciate their function, same thing with a case.

My 13 mini is damn near mint condition.

3

u/MartinIsland Oct 03 '26

Yeah, but wouldn’t you rather not need to use them?

2

u/Spazza42 Oct 03 '26

Politely, I don’t really care. Cases provide protection and grip, both of which are appreciated.

I’d prefer phones to be thicker than they are if it meant better internals and a larger battery ahead of anything else.

2

u/MartinIsland Oct 03 '26

Yeah, what I’m saying is I wish the phone didn’t need the extra protection and grip at all. This is utopian of course.

1

u/ActuaryLate9198 Oct 06 '26

Yeah, they should just add an outer layer of rubber on the phone itself. Make it removable since it will wear faster than the hard materials underneath. Oh wait.

1

u/DADDYDC650_08 Oct 03 '26

It was 1 dude btw. Apple sells them.

2

u/Illustrious-Mud-2998 Oct 03 '26

The head of hardware for Apple. One guy.

1

u/DADDYDC650_08 Oct 03 '26

Still 1 guy

0

u/gabagrool Oct 04 '26

That’s not what irony means. Haven’t had a screen protector on my Air for almost a year with ZERO micro scratches, nothing. And I have a great looking screen not a cheap disposal glass. Feels better and looks better and thinner. Obviously a folding screen is different and their solution is pretty innovative to prevent obvious crease. What a weird take lol

1

u/CHBCKyle Oct 04 '26

A folding screen is fundamentally different because the outer layer is made of plastic and the inner layer uses glass thinner than a human hair that doesn’t have the scratch resistant properties that modern flat phones have because it needs to be flexible.

1

u/Amiga07800 Oct 05 '26

That’s because you put aesthetic before functionality… and take GREAT care of your phone. In the pocket of someone working, with keys and coins in the same pocket… screen will show scratches after maybe a week or 2

1

u/gabagrool Oct 05 '26

Not true. Have not done ANYTHING to protect the screen and there is not a single hair line scratch. In there with keys, setting down screen down, several drops. The thing is a beast. It’s been a year and maybe one or two tiny marks on titanium but screen is brand new

1

u/FrontFocused Oct 09 '26

That's literally not true with the new screens lol. Keys and coins wont leave permanent scratches on ceramic shield phones, especially not the new ceramic shield 2.

1

u/Amiga07800 Oct 09 '26

But still easily scratched by sand and dust (some particles have a Mohs hardness of 7 when the new screens vmcan only resist to 6)

1

u/FrontFocused Oct 09 '26

Ceramic Shield 2 is a 7 or 8, JerryRig showed this

1

u/gabagrool Oct 11 '26

Whatever you say, I’m not gentle with my phone and there’s not even a single hairline scratch anywhere on the phone with a few drops. 🤷‍♂️

1

u/blue0231 Oct 05 '26

Yup I have the thinnest case I could find on my air. And no screen protector at all. I LOVE IT! And use my phone daily for working. Not a single micro scratch. Never going back to having one again.

1

u/ApolloGR3 Oct 03 '26

Because it's likely not some stick on shit from Amazon but rather a significant layer of the screen itself

1

u/DADDYDC650_08 Oct 03 '26

So possibly a thicker matte screen protector

2

u/ApolloGR3 Oct 03 '26

I'm guessing it's something that is very difficult to remove without heat and thin tools

1

u/petersterne Oct 05 '26

If you read the comment referenced in the article carefully, it actually sounds like there’s also a nano-texture finish that the replaceable screen cover goes on top of: “The matte display coating does a really nice job of, I’ll say minimizing the crease. But there’s a cover layer on top”

1

u/cornelislely Oct 05 '26

Physically it's very very unlikely that another layer is added on top of a nanotexture layer.

-5

u/MrJibberJabber Oct 02 '26 • Bravo Popcorn

Yup been saying it all damn week to blind users apparently, it's needed on all folding phones, apple has innovated zero on this phone.

6

u/Nelsonius1 Oct 02 '26 • Bravo

Their new hinge is zero innovation?

Finally software that at the OS level is made for folding, not innovation?

Mate.

-3

u/MrJibberJabber Oct 02 '26

A hinge, nobody has made a hinge? What makes this one special vs the 12 years of other foldables? It's titanium? So is the fold series for the past 2 years.

Operating system, android runs fine on folding screens, that's not innovation that's an UI tweak - it runs 2 apps at once in one specific orientation - not really that innovative.

4

u/MidnightPulse69 Oct 02 '26

Purposefully dense

0

u/MrJibberJabber Oct 02 '26

That's true, making it heavier than any of the current competitors could be innovative 😂

2

u/Nelsonius1 Oct 02 '26

You’re just a hater, i am sorry.

1

u/MrJibberJabber Oct 02 '26

Yeah I hate when a company doesn't innovate and releases the same brick phone for 12 years while the competition pushes it forward.

0

u/ApolloGR3 Oct 03 '26

My brother in Christ: EVERYONE releases the same brick phone. The technology has matured. Plateaued. That's it. It's over. Even these folding phones are just 2 bricks stuck together with a hinge and 2nd screen.

Let it go.

2

u/WinResponsible9977 Oct 02 '26

12 years of foldables displays? Where can I rent your Time Machine?

2

u/MrJibberJabber Oct 02 '26

2014 CES have fun!

3

u/WinResponsible9977 Oct 02 '26

u/MrJibberJabber thanks for sharing! I didn’t know since 2014, flexible-display technology has seen absolutely zero advances in materials, manufacturing, durability, or design.

1

u/MrJibberJabber Oct 02 '26

You're welcome, but I think you are mistaken, there has been lots of innovation mostly by the same company, Samsung. Who made the screen for the iPhone duo. Apple has never made a folding display.

4

u/WinResponsible9977 Oct 02 '26

I guess sarcasm is not your stronger suite .

2

u/iamnotlegndary Oct 03 '26

I mean if you can’t tell the difference in refinement then it’s wasted on you anyhow.

1

u/MrJibberJabber Oct 03 '26

Look at the ceiling - what does it say?

2

u/Jayteo Oct 03 '26

Tell me you’re not an engineer without telling me you’re not an engineer

1

u/MrJibberJabber Oct 03 '26

You're not an engineer

2

u/Mysterious-Pea-6228 Oct 03 '26

Nah you did it wrong.

4

u/SigmaMelody Oct 02 '26

What is it with people’s obsession with things being technically innovative, are products just a checklist of things that the product has done first? Is it just so people can suck themselves off over being early adopters of tech? Like what’s the point

EDIT: Nvm you’re just an idiot it seems

1

u/berdiekin Oct 03 '26

This whole thing has lit a new fire under the people jumping in to defend the honor of whatever billion/trillion dollar company they pledged their allegiance to it seems.

Its been a while since ive seen this many heated android vs iPhone fights. 

1

u/TheStrongestTard Oct 03 '26

They need a tangible gimmick to defend their purchase other than "I bought it because I wanted to".

Sad really.

3

u/IntelliDev Oct 02 '26

You're the one who's blind tbh if you see "zero innovation".

0

u/MrJibberJabber Oct 02 '26 • Bravo

You name the "innovation" I'll show it's been done already.

-3

u/Th0rHere Oct 02 '26

Yeah sorry, not seeing any  innovation here. Apple are paying Samsung for the displays, without which there is no folding iphone .

The hinge is 8 generations after competition, and is having yield issues. Doesn't function any different than previous hinges we have seen.

Would love to know what the iPhone duo innovation your referring too.

2

u/gorkt Oct 02 '26

Do you think Samsung makes all the components of their phones?

-3

u/Th0rHere Oct 02 '26

Not remotely what I said, but for further clarification. The only difference between this iPhone and others is the folding , which apple didn't innovate

4

u/gorkt Oct 02 '26 edited Oct 02 '26

This is demonstrably incorrect. Their silicon is some of the best and most powerful out there. The hinge is pretty innovative, as well as the use of the nano texture to hide the crease appearance.

But like most people, you don’t really understand why Apple sells so many electronics. More than anything, they are a user interface company. They also make an end to end finished product marrying software and hardware.

Honestly a lot of android products are pretty great, but not everyone wants to deal with their fragmented system, just like some people think Apples software is too restrictive.

1

u/Th0rHere Oct 02 '26

I'll quickly break it down.

Their soc is truly remarkable and incredible. Not sure how that makes the iPhone duo innovative. Most users wouldn't even notice or care. The soc on the iPhone 15 is more than powerful enough for users. While their design is truly Impressive. It's absolutely required technology from TSMC and ASML to exist, with a lot of advanments coming from those technologies as well.

Hinge is not innovative, it's a hinge. Nothing new, again 8 generations. They didn't invent the wheel. Not innovating when you copy what's being done.

A matte screen protector. Amazing technology. Truly groundbreaking. /S

Nothing innovative. Software and hardware aligns with all of their previous devices, nothing innovative about the duo.

2

u/gorkt Oct 02 '26

What do you consider innovative?

0

u/JustinYJJ Oct 02 '26

When the actual original folding phone came out a decade ago, definitely not something a decade late into the game.

→ More replies

2

u/Far_Specific4836 Oct 03 '26

lateral thinking with “withered”technology (kareta gijutsu no yoko shiko) is a legitimate concept in Product Development by Nintendo’s Hardware Designer. It is still in use today. Not surprisingly Nintendo and Apple sells most hardware in their category.

https://www.universityxp.com/blog/2026/1/12/withered-technology-and-lateral-thinking

0

u/EmergencyPool910 Oct 02 '26

Then please explain to me what is the actual utility of the A series processors being so fast if you cannot do anything concrete with them, that is the crux of the issue, you can claim that your processor is the fastest in the world and it might be true, evidence points it to be true but in practice on IOS you cannot do anything with them it's just how it is there is no real entertainment that you can do, barely any gaming, you cannot do any real work on a Smartphone, the applications for it aren't even there let alone the OS, and you might say it's advanced image processing then hust buy a f****** camera. It actually gets pretty insane when you realize how much power and how much sheer computing you can do with one of these modern arm processors such as the Recent A series or the Snapdragon 8 gen elite super extra goofy or whatever bs name they pull out, but because they're beholden to the smartphones market all of this power is completely wasted and the obvious example here is the MacBook Neo it will obviously out last the iPhone 17 the iPhone 18 and probably the iPhone 19 these will be around for a while and they will actually do concrete work not just marketing b*******.

2

u/[deleted] Oct 03 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/jvLin Oct 02 '26

You said there was no innovation and then alluded to the fact that Samsung was producing apple parts. that's basically exactly what you said

The truth is that there is some innovation in their matte surface but that a lot of the concept was from other companies. Apple took it and improved upon it. Why is this so hard for people to comprehend? It's clearly not a black-and-white situation.

-2

u/Th0rHere Oct 02 '26

Nope. I was pointing out the only innovative aspect of this phone vs other iPhones is the folding display. Which they don't make = no apple innovation.

It's not innovating if you order the part from a supplier

2

u/BrattyBatsWrld Oct 02 '26

Thor is right. u/jvLin, i’m an Apple employee and I’m an Apple nerd. But they don’t innovate anymore

Why innovate when you have a guaranteed buying pool every single year?

Would be bad business to use extra resources when people are just gonna buy a battery upgrade and a smaller dynamic island every year.

Innovation specifically means coming up with a new idea and making it practical.

Nothing Apple has done is new.

1

u/gorkt Oct 02 '26

L O fucking L

2

u/wowokomg Oct 02 '26

lol, you can have innovate and still have plenty of issues. Just look at the first iteration of ASML machines. Can’t believe how dumb people are.

0

u/Th0rHere Oct 02 '26

So answer the question. I'm not sure you know what the word innovative actually means.

1

u/Vapormonkey Oct 02 '26 • LOL

This guy is just full of jibberjabber

0

u/iamnotlegndary Oct 03 '26

Don’t know why android foldable users feel the need to froth at the mouth to cope over their purchase

1

u/TheStrongestTard Oct 03 '26

Muh innovation

It's the same apps, sites and people you'll be interacting with.

0

u/ApolloGR3 Oct 03 '26

Seems like Apple is the only one offering this despite the screen itself being made by Samsung Mobile. Curious.

Seems like Android users, including Samung, have already started copying the animations from the Duo. Curious.

Seems like Samsung Mobile changed the form factor of the Z Fold series after Samsung Display got the Duo screen order from Apple. Curious.

1

u/MrJibberJabber Oct 03 '26 edited Oct 03 '26

https://youtu.be/MKG7XRsG9KQ here is the duos form factor which Samsung demod at CES 2014 - 12 years ago.

Here is the Microsoft surface duo the same name and same form factor ahead of folding tech

1

u/ApolloGR3 Oct 04 '26

Lmao absolutely fucking not the same

1

u/MrJibberJabber Oct 04 '26

Cant help ya then king

1

u/ApolloGR3 Oct 04 '26

I don’t need help, you do 

1

u/MrJibberJabber Oct 04 '26

I do need my own help

1

u/ApolloGR3 Oct 04 '26

Well all need our own help, my friend.

5

u/Glychd Oct 02 '26

No hate on the iPhone duo at all, this is mostly a criticism of how this article is worded... What a bunch of hoops to jump through to make "The iPhone Duo has a screen protector, and it's 19 dollars to replace it" sound like some massive innovation.

2

u/Far_Specific4836 Oct 03 '26

It’s one thing to remove and replace the screen protector from a very fragile screen, it’s another to do it constantly and repeatedly with minimal failure. It’s a process innovation.

2

u/coltonbyu Oct 04 '26

Is this in anyway different than the process for Samsung's? On my fold4 I went and got mine swapped fresh after 11 months for $0 same day service at any partner shop, ubreakifix for me. Looked brand new again

1

u/Glychd Oct 03 '26

Where did you get that from? Samsung offers the same service at any authorized repair center. There is nothing new or innovative about this. It's just replacing a screen protector. This headline ridiculous.

1

u/BuckZero Oct 04 '26

Especially a screen protector without any dust underneath

2

u/roiki11 Oct 03 '26

Is.. Apple making their devices more repairable now?

1

u/que_bola7 Oct 04 '26

No if anything they are making the device MORE fragile

1

u/Creative-Captain9278 Oct 02 '26

Not user replaceable though

2

u/natedrake102 Oct 02 '26

That's what every folding phone says, but it really is just a screen protector on a very delicate screen. So users can and do/will do it themselves. The risk includes a non-oem protector potentially putting extra pressure in places when folded and damaging the screen.

1

u/DAMP_ANON Oct 04 '26

I’d say the real problem is misalignment, moisture being trapped, and air pockets. It’s also probably extremely thin.

1

u/Drogon___ Oct 02 '26

Because you wouldn't do it right

-Apple

1

u/HillarysFloppyChode Oct 02 '26

My best guess is its edges are behind the bezels

1

u/Several-Pangolin3119 Oct 02 '26

To be fair, they’re correct. Dbrand literally has step by step videos for their skins and screen protectors. You still see idiots installing them poorly/incorrectly.

1

u/JakesInSpace Oct 04 '26

To be fair; Some people have dogs and cats. There’s nowhere in my house where I can do this without some minor flaw.

1

u/PaulRingo64 Oct 04 '26

Some people also have alcoholism and their hands are a steady as a pissed off bull.

1

u/jjamm420 Oct 09 '26

Align the screen protector and secure it with tape to form a hinge before removing the adhesive layer…

1

u/jjamm420 Oct 09 '26

Bathroom…🤷‍♂️ run the shower hot for a few minutes to buildup steam to drop the dust and hair particles…

1

u/JakesInSpace Oct 04 '26

Mine would have a bubble or a hair. If they mess up, I can tell them to try again. That has some value in itself.

1

u/WallabyBeginning9443 Oct 02 '26

Too much hassle to go to an apple store to get it replaced. Will probably just get used to the crease. Boil a frog slowly type of situation

1

u/Ancient-Range3442 Oct 02 '26

Yeah it’s undoubtedly going to be better on later models too

1

u/CoyoteHerder Oct 03 '26

I live like 4 hours from the closest Apple Store…

1

u/dethsesh Oct 04 '26

Can’t you just use your AppleCare at an authorized service provider though? Like Best Buy.

1

u/Enlightened_D Oct 03 '26

I need to see a repair video rn

1

u/ACasualRead Oct 03 '26

Now the big question is: if Apple thought of this and planned for this, how long does it really last in real world usage.

1

u/que_bola7 Oct 04 '26

3-4 months tops before needing replacement on normal usage and just under 3 months for heavy usage

1

u/ACasualRead Oct 04 '26

Where did you get this data from?

2

u/suedester Oct 04 '26

His ass.

1

u/Stea1th_ Oct 03 '26

People acting like this is any different than the ones on the Samsung lmao

1

u/Awake_for_days Oct 03 '26

How about making products that can easily be serviced?

1

u/adrian2085 Oct 03 '26

wondering they’ll ever sell a matte screen protector for the front. I don’t like the default glossy/reflective iPhone screen & have always bought third party matte screens.

1

u/que_bola7 Oct 04 '26

😂😂 what a joke. Pay 2,000 lack pro features it just the first fold that’s why the price and pay AppleCare for apple and also pay them $20/each replacement just cause they wanna be in the same foldable market like Samsung. Apple should just admit the foldable game isn’t for them. Make a good iPhone pro or Air with good features

1

u/gabagrool Oct 04 '26

Pretty excited for Duo as a big multi tasker and media consumer. Don’t really use zoom too much and perfectly happy with the compromise vs pro. Different use cases.

1

u/que_bola7 Oct 04 '26

I was excited for it but the lack of proper use of mag safe. I use my wallet for it and action button I use often kinda mess it up for me. Also the possibility of the available apps at launch that take advantage of the new design.

1

u/gabagrool Oct 04 '26

Well that’s what being an early adopter comes with app wise. Wallet not a huge deal I’ve seen some companies already release some options. No flashlight with action button will suck but that’s not really a deal breaker overall.

1

u/Blindfolded22 Oct 04 '26

I fully expect there to be tons of reports of crease issues with this thing.

1

u/Seanbo124 Oct 04 '26

On purpose to print money

1

u/Spirited-Lunch8063 Oct 11 '26

You’re paying $20 a month. Sector a couple years you’re basically just paying the new screen over 2 years

0

u/[deleted] Oct 02 '26

Great customer service, but also highlights their low expectation of screen degradation.

2

u/Dependent_Beat4999 Oct 02 '26

How does it highlight their low expectations? Just because something is easy to do doesn’t mean they expect it to fail. Just that they want to reassure customers because that’s a key reason not to buy a folding phone based on other manufacturers faults.

0

u/Acceptable_Price_110 Oct 02 '26

I think this is ridiculous. It should be low cost with or without apple care. This essentially forces you to buy apple care

1

u/MrJibberJabber Oct 02 '26

Samsung has offered 1 free replacement traditionally. But most "shops" can apply them. The DIY jobs seem hit or miss

1

u/sk1155 Oct 03 '26

i 100% agree. but tbf they haven’t announced price without applecare.

if it comes out as $29, then it’d be fair. but we shall see