Apple (AAPL.US) pre-order the first folding screen iPhone Duo is “empty”: delivery is scheduled for January 2027, and 6 million units are expected to be sold this year

The Zhitong Finance App learned that within a few minutes of starting pre-orders for Apple's (AAPL.US) iPhone Duo, the first folding screen phone on Friday, the delivery time slipped to January next year. Strong demand combined with severely limited supply made the $1,999 device difficult to buy on October 23 or even for a short time.

The latest shipping estimates shown on the Apple Online Store apply to the iPhone Duo's two colors and full storage configurations from 256GB to 2TB.

Pre-order users reported that the delivery date was delayed even if they followed the steps recommended by Apple to reserve their preferred color and volume in advance in an attempt to speed up the purchase process. After pre-orders began at 8 p.m. Beijing time, the stock on the first day of sale at Apple retail stores also sold out almost instantly. This is the company's first folding screen device.

Compared to when the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max first launched in September, the “smooth user process to place an order in a timely manner”, it is obviously much more difficult to get an iPhone Duo this time. Counterpoint Research said last month that Apple is expected to sell around 6 million iPhone Duos this year.

Apple usually reserves some inventory for customers arriving at the store on the day it goes on sale, which may cause long queues outside of Apple stores and mobile operator stores — an annual tradition when the iPhone was released.

However, demand for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, which premiered on September 18, is also very strong, especially in the Chinese market. In the first week of launch, sales of the iPhone Pro series increased 12% year on year. Compared with the same period last year, Apple topped the list, accounting for 33% of the Chinese smartphone market during the week.

“The delayed release of the iPhone 18 basic model may prompt some consumers to upgrade to the Pro series, while the price increase of many Chinese flagship models by more than $200 may raise the price anchor, thereby strengthening the iPhone's relative value proposition,” said Ivan Lam, senior analyst at Counterpoint.

Standard versions of the iPhone 18, iPhone Air 2, and iPhone 18e are expected to be released around March 2027.

Apple shares rose 1.2% before the US stock market opened.