iPhone Duo Goes on Sale as Apple Enters Foldable Phone Market

iPhone Duo sales began on Friday, October 23, as Apple entered the foldable phone market with its first folding phone, priced at $1,999.

Pre-orders opened a week earlier, on October 16. Within minutes, Apple’s estimated delivery dates slipped to late January, because orders were arriving faster than the company could build phones. Apple described the response from customers as “nothing short of extraordinary.”

The first Apple store to sell the phone was in Sydney, where a line had formed before the doors opened at 8 a.m. Simon Krishnan, a 48-year-old engineer, paid 3,899 Australian dollars, about $2,734, for a model with 512 gigabytes of storage. “This is a bit of a luxury item for me, because it’s so expensive, but I just think, you know what? Life’s too short,” he said.

In Macau, where the phone is sold only to walk-in customers, people queued for hours before stores opened, according to social media posts and local media reports.

Apple said walk-in availability depends on the country. Stock is limited in the United States, Australia, Canada, Mexico and much of Britain and Europe. In China, France, Hong Kong, India and Japan, only customers who ordered online can collect a phone. The company also said it expects the phones set aside for walk-in buyers to sell out quickly. Resellers have listed the phone on eBay at higher prices.

The launch is an early test for John Ternus, Apple’s new chief executive. He was previously the company’s hardware chief. He took over from Tim Cook on September 1 and unveiled the phone, called the iPhone Duo, on September 9.

Apple is joining a category that others entered first. Samsung Electronics and Huawei have sold premium foldable phones for several years.

The market research firm International Data Corporation expects Apple to capture 44 percent of the foldable phone market’s value in 2026, on 31 percent of units sold. It forecasts that Apple will be the leader in both value and shipments by 2027.

Francisco Jeronimo, a vice president at the firm, said Apple’s entry could bring foldables to a much wider audience. He spent a week with the phone, which has a passport-like shape when closed. “Apple has made a convincing case for this form factor,” he said. He added that the next test is turning excitement into availability and adoption.

Early reviews have been mixed. Reviewers praised the phone’s design and its sturdy hinge, which leaves almost no visible crease, a long-standing complaint with foldable phones. However, they noted the absence of a telephoto lens and said some third-party apps still need to be updated for the new display. They also found the device less convenient to use when folded for everyday tasks typically performed on a standard iPhone.

John Gruber, a longtime Apple commentator, wrote that using the phone felt like trying “an extraordinarily polished prototype.” Marques Brownlee, the reviewer known online as MKBHD, said it may not suit people who mainly send messages, browse social media and use everyday apps. Buyers who can pay roughly $2,000 and are willing to learn how it works may enjoy it, he said.

The iPhone remains Apple’s largest source of revenue, and the Duo arrives as the company tries to extend that business into a new product category. The table below shows how iPhone sales have moved over the past three fiscal years.

The figures show how seasonal the business is. Sales usually peak in the first fiscal quarter, with the launch of new models. The $85.27 billion in the first quarter of fiscal 2026 is the highest on the list and shows how much Apple’s results depend on the iPhone.

Limited walk-in stock and delivery dates slipping to January suggest that supply constraints will restrict iPhone Duo sales during the first few weeks.