Apple opened preorders for its $1,999 foldable iPhone Duo on Friday, and within about 30 minutes U.S. delivery estimates for every model had slipped to Jan. 25.
Key Points:
- Every U.S. iPhone Duo configuration showed a Jan. 25 delivery estimate about half an hour after preorders opened.
- Apple disabled in-store pickup, though stores will hold some units for the Oct. 23 launch.
- Analysts had warned for months that hinge and assembly problems would keep early supply tight.
iPhone Duo Sellout
Apple's online store reopened at 8:07 a.m. ET, a few minutes late, and early buyers saw delivery dates jump from Oct. 23 to mid-November almost at once.
By 8:21 a.m., every color and storage option showed a Dec. 15-22 window. The slide kept going.
By about 8:30 a.m. ET, all eight U.S. configurations listed Jan. 25, putting online delivery before Christmas out of reach. Apple also switched off in-store pickup and told customers to check back Oct. 24.
Retail stores will still have some stock when the phone launches Oct. 23 in more than 70 countries and regions, with 28 more markets following Oct. 30. Walk-in supply at most locations is likely to be thin. Best Buy still listed Oct. 23 on its preorder page, but only for buyers adding or replacing an AT&T or Verizon line, and the actual ship date may be later.
Prices run from $1,999 for 256GB of storage to $3,199 for 2TB, the highest starting price Apple has ever put on an iPhone. That is $700 more than the iPhone 18 Pro Max.
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Kuo, Gurman Warnings
Michael Simon, who has covered Apple for more than 20 years, said no phone since the iPhone X had drawn this much anticipation. Apple itself warned that demand would be high, and veteran reporter Mark Gurman said earlier this month that supply would be limited. The company reportedly raised its Duo orders by 30% in the days before preorders opened.
Still, the quick sellout does not prove runaway demand on its own, Apple writer William Gallagher argued, since Apple is believed to have built fewer Duos than it normally would. He added that a brand-new design makes demand harder to forecast, and that the phone arrives as a global chip shortage pushes prices higher across the tech industry.
In December 2025, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo warned that early yield problems could delay smooth shipments until 2027 and leave the foldable short through at least the end of 2026.
In September, GF Securities analyst Jeff Pu cut his 2026 shipment forecast from 7 million to 6 million units, blaming hinge constraints rather than weak demand. Later that month, a person close to Foxconn's supply chain said final assembly yields stood only slightly above 60% as of Sept. 17.
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