Polish content creator Kuba Klawiter and his followers put the iPhone Duo through a brutal livestreamed manual folding test until its inner screen failed at fold number 75,001. This test marks the first documented trial to push Apple’s $2,000 foldable phone to its actual breaking point.
The first test to push Apple’s foldable phone to the breaking point
Test phase details from dust to ice cooling
Comparison with other reviewers’ tests and automated robots
Durability comparison with Samsung phones and Apple’s response
Frequently asked questions
The first test to push Apple’s foldable phone to the breaking point
Polish YouTuber Kuba Klawiter, in collaboration with his followers, manually folded the iPhone Duo in a continuous livestream until its inner screen completely failed at fold number 75,001. Tech publication Gizmodo reported that a line appeared directly in the middle of the screen after cooling the device with ice. This test is the first widespread trial to drive Apple’s first foldable phone to the edge of total fracture, whereas tests by other reviewers stopped well before this point with the phone remaining functional, noting that Apple has not published any official fold-count rating for its $2,000 device.
Test phase details from dust to ice cooling
Klawiter bought the phone with his own money and started the livestream on October 24, with volunteers rotating in hourly shifts aiming to reach either one million folds or the appearance of the first manufacturing defect. The retail 256GB version passed its first 50,000 folds without any issues. Afterward, the team placed the phone inside a bag filled with dirt and dust to simulate pocket lint, after which the first few folds felt “rough and crunchy.” Upon reaching 60,000 folds, the crease line in the middle became deeper. At fold number 75,000, the team cooled the phone with ice to simulate a harsh Polish winter, and permanent white lines appeared along the crease on the very next fold, while some platforms estimated the failure point at 75,003 folds. Some viewers accused Klawiter of hitting the phone hard against the table, but he clarified that he placed it down normally even if not overly gently, acknowledging that the dirty pocket phase was closer to what a construction worker faces compared to an office worker, and estimating that 75,000 fold cycles at a rate of 50 folds per day equals just over four years of normal use.
Comparison with other reviewers’ tests and automated robots
In contrast, other tests were shorter in scope; tech journalist Joanna Stern used a homemade robot she named “Hinge-y” to fold her iPhone Duo—housed in a protective case—32,640 times over four nights, finding “no noticeable degradation,” and noting the hinge actually became slightly stiffer afterward. Additionally, Tim Pan from Media Storm surpassed 10,000 folds, and HTX Studio exceeded 3,000 folds, with neither attempting to break their units, which were loaned by Apple. As of Tuesday morning, CNET’s folding machine had also surpassed the 75,000-fold mark.
Durability comparison with Samsung phones and Apple’s response
Samsung rates its latest Galaxy Z Flip and Z Fold devices to withstand 500,000 folds, and Klawiter says his own tests of the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Z Flip 5 exceeded 400,000 folds each, though Gizmodo warned that testing conditions differ too much to allow for a definitive comparison. In a separate teardown test conducted by JerryRigEverything, it was revealed that the inner screen scratches at a level 2 on the Mohs hardness scale and that sand caused the hinge to jam. Following reports of cracked screens after launch, Apple told Gizmodo: “We are aware of an issue affecting the inner screen in a small number of iPhone Duo units,” and directed affected users to AppleCare for a replacement.
Frequently asked questions
Question: When did the iPhone Duo screen break during the Polish YouTuber’s test?
Answer: The inner screen broke at fold number 75,001 (or 75,003 according to some sources) immediately after exposing the phone to dust and then cooling it with ice.
Question: How many years of normal use does 75,000 folds equal?
Answer: At a rate of 50 folds per day, 75,000 folds equals just over 4 years of normal daily use.
Question: How does this number compare to Samsung’s foldable phones?
Answer: Samsung rates its latest devices to withstand 500,000 folds, and the Z Flip 3 and Z Flip 5 models passed over 400,000 folds in Klawiter’s previous tests.
