iPhone Duo buyers are advised not to skip AppleCare coverage
Apple's new foldable iPhone Duo costs about $2,000, and an out-of-warranty repair of its inner screen is priced at $999. Tech site Engadget says AppleCare+ or AppleCare One plans look like a sensible safeguard.
Tech site Engadget has published advice for people buying Apple's new foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo: don't skip extended warranty coverage. The device costs roughly $2,000, and the outlet argues that going without protection could be an expensive mistake.
The iPhone Duo combines features of an iPhone and an iPad mini. It has a 5.4-inch outer display and a 7.6-inch inner screen with a nano-textured surface. The inner screen is the main risk, since Apple's service pricing lists its out-of-warranty repair at $999. Fixing the outer display costs $379, the back glass at least $199, and battery service or rear camera repairs $229 each. A flat $1,499 fee applies to "other damage," which presumably covers the hinge, bending damage or internal components.
What AppleCare offers
AppleCare+ costs $20 a month or $200 a year. AppleCare One costs $20 a month for an individual or $50 a month for a family. Anyone who already has an AppleCare One family plan, or an individual plan on an older iPhone being replaced, gets the Duo covered at no extra cost. Otherwise, two years of coverage comes to $400 or $480.
With coverage, repair fees fall to between $19 for cover-layer fixes and $99 for other damage. AppleCare+ also covers theft and loss, with a $149 fee.
Is a case enough?
Engadget notes that many cases, including Apple's, have a raised edge around the displays and camera bump that can absorb some impact. The front display uses Ceramic Shield 2 glass, developed with Corning, and the back has Ceramic Shield glass, along with a titanium frame and hinge cover. The inner display, however, has no Ceramic Shield protection because it must bend, so dropping the phone fully open could be costly. The durability of the hinge, and how the nano-textured surface copes with fingernails, debris and an Apple Pencil, is not yet known.
The outlet concludes that AppleCare is close to a necessity, and that buyers who find the extra cost too high would be better off skipping the Duo altogether.
