iPhone Duo's crease looks better on day one — but durability remains an open question

Apple's first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, generated significant buzz after its announcement earlier this month, with much attention focused on how it would handle a persistent flaw that has plagued foldable devices from other manufacturers: the visible crease down the middle of the screen.

A matte coating to hide the fold

With current display technology, it's nearly impossible to create a flexible screen that folds without leaving some kind of crease. Manufacturers have gradually improved this over time, but the mark never fully disappears. Apple's approach relies on what it calls a nano-texture display, which uses a matte coating on top of the screen to significantly cut down on light reflection, making the crease far less noticeable to the eye.

Reactions from people who have seen the device in person are mixed. Some say the crease is barely visible, while others maintain it's still there and likely to become more pronounced over time. One early hands-on report described the crease as easier to feel with a finger than to actually see.

The real test is cumulative wear

The bigger challenge isn't how a foldable looks fresh out of the box — it's how it holds up after repeated use. Samsung's foldable phones, for example, ship unfolded and look completely flat at first, but the crease becomes increasingly visible after repeated folding and unfolding. Over thousands of folds across months or years, the damage can become significant, and photos of worn foldable screens are easy to find online.

Apple executives have publicly expressed confidence that the iPhone Duo will prove more durable than competing foldables. Still, observers note that no one will know for certain how the nano-texture screen performs until the device reaches a wide base of everyday users over an extended period — including the inevitable durability stress tests from YouTubers.

For now, the fact that Apple has managed to make the crease noticeably less visible right out of the gate is a promising sign, and one that rival manufacturers will likely be racing to match.