As Apple's Duo Folding Phone Hits Stores, Care Tips for Owners of Foldable Devices

Apple's first folding phone, the Duo, goes on sale on October 23, giving longtime iPhone owners their first chance to try a flexible display. Folding phones have their own care requirements, and the company that makes this one has not yet said what they are.

The appeal is easy to state. A folding phone fits in a pocket, opens into a larger seamless screen, and can prop itself up as a stand or tripod. The tradeoff is that the technology demands more attention than a conventional smartphone. Buyers may also face a wait: many users report that shipping dates on Duo preorders are slipping into January.

Apple has posted no online guidance on looking after the Duo, and it did not respond to a request asking whether it plans to. Rivals that have sold folding devices for years, including Samsung and Google, have published their own advice, and Honor offers guidance online as well.

The first question is screen protectors. The Duo, like many folding phones, has a rigid outer screen that never bends and a folding inner screen. Protectors for the outer screen are already sold by Amazon and other retailers. The inner display is different. Samsung installs a protective layer on the inner screen of its Galaxy Fold phones, and Google does the same on its folding Pixels. Google tells owners not to peel that layer off or add a third-party protector, and Samsung says to take the device to a service centre if the layer needs replacing.

Apple appears to be heading the same way. Kate Bergeron, Apple's vice president of hardware engineering, told an Italian influencer in a video interview that the Duo's folding screen has a replaceable cover layer. She called that a nice thing for customers, who can peel it off and get a new one. A tech YouTuber then found that AppleCare's service price list for the Duo includes a "cover layer" at US$19 (RM77.64), which looks like confirmation. Apple's press office did not respond to a request to verify either detail. Cases, the article notes, are available from Apple and aftermarket makers.

The hinge is the weak point. Manufacturers have built sophisticated mechanisms, but they still have tiny gaps where debris can get in. "Don't take it to the beach – they don't like sand," said Ben Wood, a tech analyst at FDM CCS Insight. Honor's guidance says its rotating hinge has small gaps that let in sand and dust, which can damage the screen and hinge, cause abnormal noises and lead to malfunctions. It advises against using the phone in windy or dusty conditions. If a phone begins making unusual sounds as it folds, the advice is to stop opening and closing it, since grit may be inside the mechanism.

The screen itself is softer and more flexible than glass on a standard phone, which makes it more vulnerable. Google recommends avoiding contact with crumbs, fingernails and sharp objects. Samsung says to check that nothing sits between the two halves, such as a card, coin or key, that could scratch or puncture the main screen. Folding phones usually have strong magnets along their edges to hold them shut, and those attract metal objects that can harm the display. Some makers suggest keeping the phone out of the same pocket or bag as keys or coins.

A few other cautions apply. Don't bend the phone backward or force it open or shut. Honor, which sells phones everywhere except North America, says not to open or close its devices in very cold weather, when the screen can turn brittle and crack more easily, and not to leave the phone closed for long stretches, which can stress the screen and hinge. Ordinary smartphone cleaning and maintenance still applies.

Two things are worth watching: whether Apple formally confirms the replaceable cover layer and the US$19 price, and whether the preorder delays into January prove real.