Apple’s iPhone Duo preorders went live on Friday, October 16, and shipping estimates jumped to late January within minutes, even though the $1,999 foldable is still scheduled to launch on October 23.
According to Bloomberg’s chief Apple correspondent Mark Gurman, writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Apple knew iPhone Duo supply would be severely limited but chose a wider international launch anyway. The company reportedly believes the scarcity will ultimately help drive sales of the iPhone 18 Pro series.
How the iPhone Duo preorders fell apart
The Apple Store app opened just after 5 a.m. PT, and by 5:02 a.m., nearly every iPhone Duo configuration was showing an early November ship date. Estimates then slid to mid-November, late November, December, and finally late January. Anyone who missed the first few minutes was looking at a wait of more than three months.
Gurman says Apple originally planned to launch the iPhone Duo in the US and China first. Instead, the company went with a rollout across more than 70 countries on day one, which, in his view, spread limited supply thin across far more markets.
He adds that Apple was aware of the severe supply constraints but still chose to push the Duo out early in its fiscal first quarter.
How this affects the iPhone 18 Pro and Galaxy Z Fold 8
Gurman further reports that Apple believes the limited iPhone Duo stock could work in its favor by driving sales of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. The thinking is that shoppers who can’t secure a Duo on launch day, or who walk into a store and find none available, may settle for an iPhone 18 Pro at roughly half the price. If that plays out, it could boost 18 Pro sales, but it won’t excuse a botched Duo launch.
Nikkei Asia reports that Apple cut its October iPhone 18 Pro component orders by at least 15% amid soft demand for the phone. Analyst Jeff Pu also noted that iPhone 18 Pro preorders were lukewarm, partly because many potential buyers chose to wait for the iPhone Duo instead.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8’s sellout looked very different. According to one report, the Z Fold 8 sold out at launch in late July, with the most popular colors slipping to August 21. That was roughly two weeks after launch, not three months.
For shoppers eyeing the Fold 8 or Pixel 11 Pro Fold, this news changes little, since both devices are in stock and available now. iPhone 18 Pro owners are unaffected too. It seems Apple just wants more of your money.
Who is stuck waiting past launch day
This preorder and launch-day fiasco exposes who has the most to lose: the early adopters most willing to spend $1,999 on a first-generation iPhone Duo. Those who wait it out for a late January delivery will already be roughly a quarter of the way to the rumored launch of the Duo 2.
If you ordered the iPhone Duo after the first few minutes of preorders, you probably have a late January ship date. If you were planning to gamble on a launch-day store visit, know that stock availability is an unknown.
I’m not switching my preorder to an iPhone 18 Pro
I preordered the iPhone Duo directly from Apple and landed a November 16 to 23 delivery window. Even so, I wouldn’t cancel my preorder to grab an iPhone 18 Pro instead. I’d rather wait and keep using my iPhone Air in the meantime.
Still, it stings to think that if Apple had kept its original launch plans smaller, ship dates might have been more reasonable for buyers in the US and China. I hope Apple gets ahead of the supply issues, and that this serves as a lesson when it plans the launch of the Duo 2.
