Last month, Apple announced its first ever foldable phone, the iPhone Duo. With launch day still weeks away, questions remain about the devices’ crease, and what you can do if a crease forms. Apple appears to have a solution - a replaceable nano-texture cover layer that costs £19 with an AppleCare plan.
Apple has updated its service and repair page for its latest iPhone models, which provides an estimated cost for service repairs if you have an AppleCare plan. The list covers the cost to get your battery serviced, physical damage fixed or a replacement unit if your iPhone Duo has been lost or stolen:
- Battery Service - £0
- Cover layer - £19
- Front display damage - £25
- Back glass damage - £25
- Inner display damage - £79
- Other accidental damage - £79
- Theft or loss - £109
Notably, there is an addition of a "cover layer" for £19, referencing the nano-texture top layer of the inner iPhone Duo display.
Apple has not disclosed the price of this service if you don't have an AppleCare Plan.
Apple's foldable display consists of multiple ultra-thin layers, with Apple describing the inner display as being made up of 10 ultra-thin layers. A custom nano-texture cover layer sits above the folding display, while specialised adhesives allow the layers to move relative to one another as the phone folds.
Apple opted for the nano-texture finish as it helps reduce glare that would make the crease stand out as the company has not completely eradicated it. iPhone Duo users who fold and unfold their device regularly over time could see the crease begin to form, so Apple has decided to offer this £19 replacement for customers who don't want a visible crease.
In an interview with angie.tutorials on Instagram, Apple's Vice President of Hardware Engineering Kate Bergeron said that this layer was replaceable, when talking about how the company has worked to minimise crease visibility:
"It's actually replaceable which is a really nice thing for the customer that you can peel off that layer and get a new one."
It remains unclear how this will work, though with this listed as a service and repair option, this is likely to be only performed by Apple technicians and authorised repair providers, rather than something the customer can do themselves.
Final Thoughts
As someone who is interested in the iPhone Duo, but was put off by the potential degrading quality of the inner display over time, this service option makes the iPhone Duo a much more compelling option again.
The cover layer isn't the same thing as replacing the entire folding display, but knowing that the layer responsible for protecting the surface and helping minimise the crease can be replaced could provide some much-needed peace of mind for long-term iPhone Duo owners.
