Durability concerns, poor app optimization and steep repair costs draw fire

Resale prices on domestic platforms plunge sharply

Foreign media criticism dogged the foldable from launch

A customer examines the iPhone Duo at the Apple Store in Myeong-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul on Oct. 23, the official domestic launch date of Apple's first foldable smartphone. Photo by Lim Se-jun
A customer examines the iPhone Duo at the Apple Store in Myeong-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul on Oct. 23, the official domestic launch date of Apple's first foldable smartphone. Photo by Lim Se-jun

The resale value of Apple's first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, is collapsing. Once touted as a device that would hold its value even on the secondhand market, the iPhone Duo has shed 38% of its resale price in just two weeks since launch.

The slide reflects a string of controversies that have dogged the device from the start — durability concerns, slow progress on app optimization and the burden of steep repair costs. For Apple, long known for commanding premium prices even in the used-phone market, the iPhone Duo is fast becoming a sore spot.

Apple's foldable phone, the iPhone Duo [AFP]
Apple's foldable phone, the iPhone Duo [AFP]

According to smartphone depreciation data from SellCell, the largest used-phone price comparison platform in the United States, the top-tier iPhone Duo model (2TB, list price $3,199) now fetches a maximum buyback price of $1,971. That marks a $1,288 — or 38.4% — drop from the launch price in just two weeks since the device went on sale Oct. 23.

Lower-tier models tell a similar story. The base 256GB model (list price $1,999) in top condition has fallen 22% to $1,560, while a standard used-condition unit has plunged 44.6% to $1,107. Devices with screen defects or physical damage fetch only $600.

SellCell and US tech outlet MacObserver had already warned in a market analysis that iPhone Duo buyers stood to lose roughly 65% of the device's value — about $1,292 — within a year of purchase. In practice, prices are falling even faster than that projection.

The initial frenzy surrounding the iPhone Duo's domestic launch has also cooled. The device launched in South Korea at around 3.29 million won ($2,380) for the 256GB model and briefly traded on secondhand platforms — including Joonggonara, Bungaejangter and Karrot — at around 3.42 million won. Unopened, carrier-unlocked new units are now changing hands in the 3.1 million to 3.2 million won range.

Industry observers say the resale price collapse stems from a tangle of controversies, ranging from inner display problems to app optimization failures.

A durability test of the iPhone Duo conducted by a foreign YouTuber. Applying force in the direction opposite to the fold left visible lines across the display. [Captured from YouTube / JerryRigEverything]
A durability test of the iPhone Duo conducted by a foreign YouTuber. Applying force in the direction opposite to the fold left visible lines across the display. [Captured from YouTube / JerryRigEverything]

Reports of inner display damage surfaced in foreign media almost immediately after the iPhone Duo launched. International online communities and tech publications alike raised questions about the hinge design and the durability of the foldable display.

The device's repair costs — reaching as high as 1.4 million won — have also drawn fire. In a research note released recently, British insurtech and mobile market research firm Finsure said the iPhone Duo's inner display repair cost of $999 (999 pounds in the UK; 1.65 million won in South Korea) amounts to nearly half the price of the device itself. "Even if a buyback company purchases the device for $1,300, discovering a minor defect on the inner screen and deducting the $999 repair cost leaves a residual value of less than $300," the firm said.

A photo of a damaged iPhone Duo posted to Reddit. [Captured from Reddit]
A photo of a damaged iPhone Duo posted to Reddit. [Captured from Reddit]

Used-device buyers have responded by either slashing their iPhone Duo buyback offers dramatically or refusing the device altogether. SellCell's buyback tracker shows that major US platforms — including Gazelle, ecoATM and even Apple's own official trade-in program — have all removed the iPhone Duo from their accepted-device lists.

Complaints have also emerged about the device's inability to make full use of its large inner screen, owing to a lack of software optimization. US tech outlet CNET reported that many major apps have yet to be properly optimized for the iPhone Duo's 4:3-ratio inner display, which measures 7.6 inches, fueling growing user frustration.

Many popular everyday apps fail to fill the iPhone Duo's full landscape screen, instead appearing centered at a standard iPhone size — with black bars, or letterboxing, filling the unused space on either side.


ko@heraldcorp.com