Am I the only one who actually got the Duo back together? After taking mine apart, I can hold it up with the inner display still working. That feels worth mentioning after the teardowns I’ve been watching.
A Lot of Broken Inner Screens
I keep seeing the same ending: the phone comes apart, but the folding display does not survive. The examples in my Short show just how difficult it can be to get that panel out intact.
Getting inside the phone is one challenge. Keeping that original screen working through the process is the part that makes this result satisfying.
Apple’s Approach Makes More Sense in Context
Even Apple’s own removal instructions look surprisingly aggressive. There is a reason for that, though: if you are taking out the inner display for a normal screen replacement, it is probably already broken.
That is a different job from taking apart a working phone and trying to preserve its display. Watching those instructions with that in mind makes the approach easier to understand.
Then There Is the Price
I have to give Apple some credit for the design. After spending time inside this thing, I can appreciate what went into it.
The price still gets me. The service-price list shown in my Short puts inner-display damage repair at $999. That is quite a bill to have in the back of your mind while watching a screen come apart.
Final Thoughts
Getting the Duo working again leaves me more impressed with the engineering. Would that make you more comfortable owning one, or would the repair bill still put you off?
See you in the next article!
