About 30% of early buyers of the new foldable iPhone Duo smartphone took advantage of Apple’s 14-day refund period. The main reasons for abandoning the gadget were the inconvenient form factor, compromised cameras, the return to Touch ID and the vulnerability of the hinge to dust.
About 30% of early buyers of the new foldable iPhone Duo smartphone took advantage of Apple’s 14-day refund period. The main reasons for abandoning the gadget were the inconvenient form factor, compromised cameras, the return to Touch ID and the vulnerability of the hinge to dust.
This was reported by 9to5Mac based on the results of a survey among its readers who managed to get the device in the first days of sales. In total, almost 6,000 users took part in the voting.
The high return rate is partly explained by the high cost of the new product and the change in the usual user experience, which led some of the audience to buy the device as a “try and see” experiment. At the same time, in the comments to the survey, some users noted that they clicked on the return option only to view the voting statistics, which may have distorted the real figures somewhat.
Those owners who did decide to return the iPhone Duo to the store highlighted several major drawbacks of the device. In particular, users complain about the ergonomics, the small external display, the need to constantly unfold the smartphone, and the rejection of Face ID.
“Refund — can’t go back to Touch ID,” wrote one survey participant. Another user added, “I don’t want to open my phone every time I need a bigger screen, and Apple made the external display less convenient with the permanent dock. Plus, I use my phone with my left hand.”
Some complaints have been about the quality of the images and the reliability of the design in the field. One customer reported that the hinge broke while camping in the Sahara Desert, despite careful use: "The second day, when I opened it inside the tent, I heard a crunching sound coming from the hinge. Somehow, sand got inside. The internal display worked perfectly, but the phone would no longer open all the way."
Despite a wave of returns among early adopters, demand for the iPhone Duo remains high. According to Apple’s online store delivery time checks, new orders for the device will currently not ship to customers until late January next year.
