Microscopic teardown reveals secret of iPhone Duo’s surprisingly sharp nano-texture screen
Macworld ·
Macworld The iPhone Duo, which launched last month to mixed reviews , contains a range of technological feats and breakthroughs. One of these is its nano-texture interior screen, which contrasts with the glossy outer screen and helps to conceal the crease that marred so many early (and a fair few more recent) foldable phones. The Duo has been out for a couple of weeks now, which means the repairs site iFixit has had time to perform its usual thorough teardown . And among other discoveries, the team have shed light on how that screen texture works, and how it bears comparisons to the matt finishes on rival products. Spoiler: it compares very well. In a post to Twitter/X this week, iFixit discussed this aspect of the teardown. The site used an Evident DSX2000 microscope at increasing magnifications to examine the Duo’s nano-texture screen, along with two other matte surfaces: the screen of an e-ink reader and “a popular matte screen protector film.” “At low magnification,” iFixit reports, “the difference is clear. The e-ink texture blurs everything underneath. The matt protector softens the pixels. The nanotexture lets far more detail through.” As the site points out, sharp detail isn’t as much of a priority for an e-ink reader as it is for a smartphone, which may explain why the respective makers would be satisfied with this functional difference. But it doesn’t explain what physical qualities produce the difference. That is explained at higher magnification. “The nanotexture’s pattern is much smaller and more defined than the protector’s,” the tweet reports, backing this up with photographic evidence. The e-ink reader, by contrast, has a “pillowy texture” which is “huge by comparison.” The e-ink reader (left) has a large, “pillowy” texture. The iPhone Duo (right) has a much tighter pattern. The photos are clear. The Duo’s screen features a tight pattern of what look like cells or tiny bubbles, while the screen protector has a swampy, uneven pattern and the e-ink reader features massive polygons. There’s a real difference here. “Is the iPhone Duo’s nano-texture just a matt screen protector with fancy Apple marketing?” iFixit asks, before concluding: “Verdict: not just marketing.” What’s even better is that nano-texure layer is easy to replace. If you have AppleCare+, Apple charges just $19 to replace it when it when it gets worn down.