Apple’s nano-textured screen may not hide the wrinkle forever.
Apple’s first foldable phone is coming soon, and it caused quite a stir after its announcement earlier this month. That’s no surprise, because everyone has been waiting to see how the iPhone Duo addresses the shortcomings of the competition. It’s still too early to tell, as it won’t hit stores until next month and all we’ve had so far are a few brief hands-on experiences.
But one of the most anticipated features is the new nano-texture display, which promises to make scratches on the screen much less visible. In fact, it seems to be much less noticeable – but it will be a long time before we know for sure.
The biggest deal with foldable phones: The crab
Historically, foldable phones have had an unpleasant flaw: the craze. And it all comes down to physics. With today’s technology, it is almost impossible to have a flexible display that folds without leaving wrinkles. Companies have gotten much better at this, and the fruits have become less noticeable, although they are still there.
Apple has taken a clever approach to make the fruit less visible. The iPhone Duo’s screen has a matte coating on top that significantly reduces light reflection. Some people who have seen the iPhone Duo in person say that the fruit is barely noticeable. Others say that it is still visible and that it is only a matter of time before it gets worse.
Our own hands-on report found that cancer is “easier to feel with your finger than to observe with your eyes.” But does this mean Apple has finally solved the circle problem once and for all with the iPhone Duo? Not really.
The biggest problem here is cumulative damage. Take the Galaxy Z Fold 8 as an example. Samsung ships its foldable phones unfolded in the box, and when you look at them for the first time, the screen looks super flat. But as you start folding and unfolding, the cancer definitely becomes more noticeable. Now imagine folding that screen thousands of times over the course of months or years. It’s not hard to find photos of flip phones with damaged screens online.
Only time will tell if Apple got it right
Multiple Apple executives have publicly stated how proud they are of the iPhone Duo and how they believe the device is much more durable than the competition. But we won’t know for sure how the iPhone Duo’s nano-textured screen will perform until the phone reaches a mass of consumers. Not only that, but it will probably be a while before we have any idea how future proof it is. That will certainly be something that many YouTubers put to the test in their extreme durability experiments.
So yes, the scratch on the iPhone Duo’s screen was barely visible during the hands-on sessions at Apple’s event. But even the most thorough practical impression is really just a snapshot of a trap that hasn’t had time to develop yet. The reviews coming in soon, including ours, can only talk about how the iPhone Duo looks fresh out of the box. That might be different after using the device for a few months.
Still, you have to give Apple credit here. The fact that the company has created a screen that makes the cancer much less noticeable already in the first days is certainly promising. It’s also something we should expect the competition to end soon.