(Photo: Fine M-Tec website screenshot)Fine M-Tec, a component supplier for Apple's first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, has issued an official statement denying that its components are responsible for reported screen damage.
On Oct. 26, Fine M-Tec posted a statement on its website addressing quality issues involving a customer's new product.
Fine M-Tec added that it was considering legal action against claims attributing the defects to its components without objective verification.
Fine M-Tec manufactures internal hinges, also known as metal plates, that support foldable organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels.
"Foldable smartphones incorporate a combination of critical components and precision mechanical designs," Fine M-Tec said.
Fine M-Tec's official statement regarding quality issues involving a customer's new product, posted on its website. (Photo: Fine M-Tec website screenshot)
Fine M-Tec, a component supplier for Apple's first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, has issued an official statement denying that its components are responsible for reported screen damage. The response comes as concerns about component reliability spread following reports of damaged displays on the foldable device.
On Oct. 26, Fine M-Tec posted a statement on its website addressing quality issues involving a customer's new product. "The quality issues recently reported in certain products were not caused by defects in components supplied by our company," it said. Fine M-Tec added that it was considering legal action against claims attributing the defects to its components without objective verification.
The statement followed reports of screen damage involving the iPhone Duo, which was released on Oct. 23. Consumers in the United States, Australia and China reported cracks developing along the central crease of the display or bright horizontal lines appearing on the screen during folding and unfolding.
One Australian buyer claimed that the screen broke after a noise came from near the hinge, approximately six hours after first using the device and following fewer than 20 folding cycles. Apple reportedly replaced the device. The precise cause of the defects and the extent of the problem have yet to be confirmed.
Fine M-Tec manufactures internal hinges, also known as metal plates, that support foldable organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels. These components distribute stress generated by repeated folding and unfolding, helping protect the display panel. The company has supplied related components to Samsung Display and is reportedly part of Apple's foldable smartphone supply chain.
"Foldable smartphones incorporate a combination of critical components and precision mechanical designs," Fine M-Tec said. "Objectively and technically verifying the cause is essential before directly attributing individual problems in finished products to defects in specific components."
