iPhone Duo sells out in under 30 minutes; new orders slip to 2027
Apple opened pre-orders for its first foldable iPhone at 5 a.m. PT on 16 October 2026, and launch-day allocation was gone within minutes. By 5:30 a.m. PT every colour and storage option on Apple's US store had slipped to an estimated 25 January 2027 ship date, three months past the 23 October in-store launch. Apple called demand "nothing short of extraordinary", while Bloomberg's Mark Gurman argued the simultaneous 70-country opening was a mistake given known supply constraints.
The details
- Apple opened iPhone Duo pre-orders at 5 a.m. Pacific Time on Friday 16 October 2026 through apple.com and the Apple Store app, with the first deliveries scheduled for launch day on Friday 23 October 2026.
- US pricing runs $1,999 for 256GB, $2,199 for 512GB, $2,599 for 1TB and $3,199 for 2TB; the UK tiers are £1,999, £2,199, £2,599 and £3,199, against $1,199/£1,199 for the iPhone 18 Pro.
- Launch-day stock was exhausted within minutes: by 5:30 a.m. PT Apple's US online store showed an estimated shipping date of 25 January 2027 for all eight colour and storage combinations, and some buyers were quoted 29 January instead.
- Apple told the Financial Times that demand had been "nothing short of extraordinary" and that it was "working hard to get this revolutionary new product into customers' hands as quickly as possible".
- Apple Store pickup was offered briefly during the pre-order window and then disabled, with Apple telling customers to check back on Saturday 24 October; retail staff were reportedly told to warn that walk-in inventory on 23 October would be extremely tight.
- Bloomberg's Mark Gurman wrote in his Power On newsletter on 18 October 2026 that "Apple made a major mistake here", arguing the company knew of severe supply constraints from manufacturing problems yet opened pre-orders in more than 70 countries at once rather than the originally planned United States and China first launch.
- Resale listings appeared the same day: a Night Sky 2TB iPhone Duo sold on eBay for as much as $5,000 and a confirmed 1TB pre-order sold for $4,400, each roughly $1,800 above Apple's own price.
- The iPhone Duo was unveiled on 9 September 2026 alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and pairs a 5.4-inch outer and 7.6-inch inner Super Retina XDR OLED, both with ProMotion up to 120Hz and up to 3,000 nits peak outdoor brightness, with a 2nm A20 Pro chip and 48MP Fusion Main plus 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide cameras and no telephoto.
- Sales begin on 23 October 2026 in more than 70 countries and regions including the United States and United Kingdom, with a further 28 markets following on 30 October; the handset measures 5.2mm thick unfolded, weighs 254g, carries an IP68 rating and ships with iOS 27.1 in Star White and Night Sky.