iPhone Duo’s Replaceable Inner Display Layer May Help Justify $1,999 Price

The 256GB iPhone Duo starts at $1,999, while the 2TB version costs $3,199, 9to5Mac reported. The replaceable inner layer is intended to address one of the biggest problems with folding phones to date: a crease that is visible when the device is new and tends to become more noticeable after repeated folding and unfolding.

9to5Mac reported that Apple put a substantial amount of work into the hinge and display design to minimize the crease, and early hands-on sessions found that it was barely visible on new units. Even so, some visible degradation of the inner layer is still likely over time, and Apple has acknowledged that possibility.

Hardware lead Kate Bergeron said the company worked hard to help the display “wear in as long of a manner as we can,” according to 9to5Mac. Bergeron also said the inner cover layer is replaceable once the crease becomes more visible. “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,” she said.

The replacement was previously reported to cost $19 with AppleCare, and 9to5Mac now reports that the price without AppleCare is $49. For a machine costing $2,000 or more, the report said, that is a surprisingly affordable way to make the inner display look like new again.

Because buyers of such an expensive phone may want to keep it for longer than a typical iPhone, the replaceable layer could become a deciding argument for those weighing the price, according to 9to5Mac. The publication asked readers whether the renewability makes the device’s price more palatable.

Editor's Summary Apple’s iPhone Duo, which starts at $1,999, has a replaceable inner display cover layer that costs $49 without AppleCare and $19 with AppleCare, according to 9to5Mac. The feature addresses the folding-phone crease issue and may make the high price easier for long-term buyers to accept.