Repairing the iPhone Duo's folding screen costs as much as a new iPhone

An out-of-warranty repair on the inner folding screen of Apple's iPhone Duo will cost $999, the same figure at which the device's entry price begins. The iPhone Duo starts at $1,999, so an inner screen repair comes in at half the cost of the phone itself. Apple lists that estimate for customers who do not hold an AppleCare Plus plan.

Apple has published estimated repair costs for the iPhone Duo beyond the inner display, though the exact amounts for those other repairs were not included in the article. For subscribers to AppleCare Plus, the prices are lower. Battery service is covered at no charge, repairing the inner display costs $99, and other accidental damage is also priced at $99.

Coverage that adds Theft and Loss carries its own cost. For the iPhone Duo, AppleCare Plus with Theft and Loss runs $19.99 per month, $199.99 per year, or a flat $399. Those figures apply to the plan itself, on top of whatever a customer pays for a covered repair.

The pricing details arrive ahead of the iPhone Duo's release. The device will be available on October 23rd, with preorders opening on Friday at 8AM ET. Apple customers in the United States can choose between paying the full repair estimate out of pocket or enrolling in AppleCare Plus before damage occurs.

The $999 inner screen figure stands out against the $99 charge that AppleCare Plus subscribers pay for the same repair. That gap of $900 is the difference the plan makes on a single incident for the folding display. For customers who skip the plan, accidental damage to the inner panel carries the highest listed cost among the repair estimates Apple has shared.

AppleCare Plus with Theft and Loss can be paid monthly, annually, or as a one-time flat fee. A customer weighing the $399 flat payment against the $999 repair estimate faces a comparison that Apple's published numbers make directly. The monthly option of $19.99 and the annual option of $199.99 offer the same coverage on different payment schedules.

The iPhone Duo sits at the top of Apple's pricing for this release at $1,999. Its preorder window begins Friday at 8AM ET, and the phone reaches customers on October 23rd.

More gadget news from TechManNews.