Apple reportedly relaxed quality control standards for the iPhone Duo to get more units into stores for the holiday season. An anonymous employee at Foxconn, cited by Chinese outlet Jiemian News, says the company accepted components with higher rejection rates to meet planned volumes.
The problem has been reported for weeks. Several users say the inner display of the foldable is damaged, often accompanied by a cracking sound and bright lines near the hinge. Apple has acknowledged the defect, saying it affects "a small number of iPhone Duo units," and advises affected customers to contact AppleCare for a free replacement.
According to the Foxconn source, the iPhone Duo production line has already replaced a batch of components, but the quality control standards have not been changed. The anonymous employee provided no documents to support the claim, so the report has no independent confirmation.
The hinge at the center
The main suspect is the internal hinge. YouTube creator CuriousHagi shows a link-type element touching the upper support plate that appears thinner than other parts of the structure. According to the same video, this component likely produces the cracking sound reported by users.
The picture connects to yield problems that emerged in September, when Foxconn's assembly yield was just above 60% and the hinge, with more than one hundred components, was considered the most delicate part of the design.
Sales targets under pressure
The same source says Apple still aims to ship 7.5 million units before the end of the year. This figure, reported as coming from the anonymous source, explains the pressure on volumes but has not been confirmed by Apple.
Apple has not commented on the accusation of lowered quality standards. The foldable has been on sale since October 23, starting at 2,369 euros for the 256 GB version.
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