Apple’s first foldable screen smartphone, the iPhone Duo, has seen “extremely high demand” in the market. After pre-orders opened on Friday, October 16, within minutes, the expected shipping time for this phone has been pushed back to the end of January next year. Pre-order quotas in various locations were also quickly sold out within minutes.
On Friday morning at 8 am Eastern Time, the iPhone Duo was made available for pre-order on the Apple website (apple.com) and the Apple Store app. In just a few minutes, the estimated delivery date for this phone was pushed back from the official release date of October 23 to a later time, even extending into next year. By Friday afternoon, pre-orders for this Apple phone were already scheduled for the end of January next year. The shipping delay covers all color variations and storage capacities ranging from 256GB to 2TB.
In a statement, Apple said, “As our first folding iPhone, the iPhone Duo’s pre-order demand is extremely high. We are working hard to deliver this groundbreaking new product to consumers as soon as possible and will continue to accept online orders.”
The iPhone Duo features a groundbreaking foldable design with two exquisite colors: Stardust White and Midnight. It is made of grade 5 titanium metal, polished to a mirror finish, with a starting price of $1999 for the 256GB version.
Apple’s CEO, John Ternus, stated, “The iPhone Duo is the most revolutionary iPhone since the first generation. This phone has a new design and an intuitive experience, showcasing the potential of designing hardware and software together and redefining the meaning of foldable phones.”
Analysts Anurag Rana and Josh Christensen from Bloomberg Intelligence stated in a report on Friday that the sales volume and revenue of the iPhone Duo in Apple’s fiscal year 2027 could exceed their previous predictions of 14 million units and $28 billion. If Apple can persuade existing Pro and Pro Max model users to purchase the base version of this foldable screen phone, the average selling price of the iPhone could increase by 82% and 67%, respectively.
Senior technology journalist Abrar Al Heeti from the US tech media CNET, who briefly experienced the iPhone Duo before pre-orders opened, described the product as essentially a compact iPhone that can also function as an iPad Mini, perfect for viewing multimedia content.
She also said, “The phone feels satisfying to hold, and once the screen lights up, the fold is almost invisible.”
According to CBS, analyst Dan Ives wrote in a research report on Friday, “Apple opened pre-orders for the iPhone Duo this morning. Early indications suggest strong market demand. Apple’s first foldable screen phone has already faced a supply shortage just after pre-orders began.”
Max Weinbach, an analyst from the market research firm Creative Strategies, said on Friday on social platform X that within 3 minutes of pre-orders opening, all stores in New York City and Connecticut had been sold out.
In the Chinese mainland market, Apple also opened pre-orders for the iPhone Duo on Friday. “iPhone Duo pre-orders” briefly trended as the top topic on Weibo.
Following the start of pre-orders, the Apple website and some e-commerce platforms experienced lag or were unable to load, with pages on JD.com and Tmall showing sold out status. Apple customer service indicated that there were too many visitors, and technicians were working on maintenance, suggesting refreshing the page to try again. Subsequently, orders could still be placed on the website, but the expected delivery times for some models had been scheduled for next year.
While Apple may have entered the foldable screen smartphone market later than its competitors by several years, for users already accustomed to the Apple ecosystem, this may not be a major issue. The bigger question remains whether the iPhone Duo can attract consumers who prefer purchasing Android phones. Currently, the latest foldable screen phones in the Android camp include the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, Galaxy Z Flip 8, and Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold.