Apple’s First Foldable iPhone Duo Sells Out in Minutes, Deliveries Slip to January 2027
Apple's first foldable iPhone sold out within minutes of pre-orders opening Friday, pushing delivery estimates for new orders to late January 2027, as the $1,999 iPhone Duo tests buyer appetite ahead of its Oct. 23 store launch.
CUPERTINO, Calif. — Apple’s first foldable iPhone sold out within minutes of pre-orders opening on Friday, with delivery estimates for new orders slipping to late January 2027, a sign of strong early demand and limited supply for the $1,999 device.
Pre-orders opened Friday, Oct. 16, at 5 a.m. Pacific time. By 8:30 a.m. Eastern, every configuration on Apple’s U.S. online store showed an estimated delivery date of Jan. 25, 2027, according to 9to5Mac, and launch-day pickup inventory had also sold out. Apple kept accepting orders online, and the first pre-order shipments are scheduled to arrive on Oct. 23. Whether the fast sellout reflects demand, supply limits, or both is not yet clear, Imaging Resource noted.
What the $1,999 buys
The iPhone Duo starts at $1,999 for the 256GB model, with the top 2TB version at $3,199, making it the most expensive iPhone Apple sells. Apple announced the Duo in September alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. The foldable design comes with camera trade-offs: a dual-camera system built around a 48-megapixel main camera (26mm-equivalent f/1.6 lens) and a 48-megapixel ultra-wide (13mm-equivalent f/2.2), with no dedicated telephoto — an optical-quality 2x option comes from the main camera instead. Unlike the iPhone 18 Pro, the Duo has no variable aperture on its main camera, and its 12-megapixel Center Stage front camera is a step down from the 18-megapixel front camera on the Pro models.
The foldable is Apple’s entry into a category Samsung has sold for years; a USNA comparison of the iPhone and Samsung Galaxy ecosystems lays out how the two companies’ phones stack up.
Supply will stay tight
Stock was expected to be limited. Earlier reports from China said Apple had increased parts orders by 30%, but total production was still expected to stay below 10 million units, figures Imaging Resource noted have not been independently confirmed. Apple lists the Duo for launch in more than 70 countries, spreading supply across many markets, and carriers hold allocations separate from Apple’s own. In the U.K., Vodafone and Three took orders, and Three expects more 256GB and 512GB models by Nov. 11, according to T3 as cited by gagadget.
Retail sales begin Oct. 23, but walk-in buyers should not expect much on the shelves, gagadget reported. Other costs worth knowing: repairing the inner screen costs $999 without AppleCare+, and U.K. carrier financing starts from about £66 a month over 30 months.
Reporting based on coverage by gagadget and Imaging Resource.
