It might seem obvious, but try not to sit on your iPhone Duo while you leave it on.
This lesson comes a day after Apple’s foldable iPhone hit stores with lines of people queuing up to buy the new device. Tech reviewer Zach Nelson dropped an iPhone Duo video on his YouTube channel, JerryRigEverything, testing the scratch resistance and bendability of the new $2,000 phone.
Let’s just say that Nelson’s measured, soothing voice didn’t keep me quiet as he carefully destroyed the duo.
He subjected it to numerous scratch tests on both its cover and inner screens. Nelson praised Apple for the Ceramic Shield 2 glass of the cover screen and noted that the inner screen, even with its nano-textured finish, scratches as easily as the non-matte folding display of the Galaxy Z Fold 8.
But why stop there?
Nelson used medieval chain mail (no evidence it was actually medieval), dirt, dust and pebbles to further test the duo. Surprisingly, the new phone handled chainmail easily. Nelson credits that in part to the duo’s matte finish on the inner screen, which seems to hide imperfections.
He then opened the duo’s inner screen and tried to bend it backwards a few times. As you might expect, the frame flexed, leading to cracks appearing on the main 7.6-inch screen. So if you put your Duo with its main screen on a chair or sofa, just don’t sit on it.
In a review by CNET senior technology reporter Abrar Al-Heeti, Al-Heeti recommends protecting the Duo, saying, “You should probably still get a case in AppleCare, or be prepared to pay a pretty penny for repairs.”
You can watch Nelson’s video to see the entire almost 15 minute video. Note: the dust and dirt part against the hinge of the duo is psychologically difficult to see (because of all the dust and dirt). Also, if you’re wondering more about the iPhone Duo’s durability, CNET has designed and built a custom machine called the Fold-a-Phone, which is currently hard at work testing how many times Apple’s foldable can be opened and closed.