About 30 minutes after **Apple** opened preorders last Friday for the iPhone Duo, its foldable phone starting at $1,999 (about 2.8 million won), the estimated delivery date for every model sold in the U.S. was pushed back to January 25 next year.
Key Takeaways
About 30 minutes after preorders opened, the estimated delivery date for every iPhone Duo model sold in the U.S. was listed as January 25
Apple disabled the in-store pickup option, with only some units allocated to physical stores for the October 23 launch
Warnings that initial production would be limited due to hinge and assembly yield issues had been circulating for months.
‘Virtually sold out’ in 30 minutes…order early or get delivery next year
Apple’s online store reopened slightly later than scheduled, at 8:07 a.m. Eastern Time (ET). As soon as preorders opened, early buyers saw the estimated delivery date for the iPhone Duo jump from October 23 to mid-November.
Around 8:21 a.m., delivery windows for every color and storage option began showing dates between December 15 and 22. Delays grew even longer after that.
By around 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time, the estimated delivery date for all eight configurations sold in the U.S. had settled at January 25 next year. Online delivery in time for the year-end holiday season had effectively become impossible. Apple also disabled in-store pickup and told customers to check again on October 24.
Even so, limited quantities are expected to reach retail stores for the global launch on October 23, across more than 70 countries and regions. Sales will expand to 28 additional markets on October 30. However, in-store stock is expected to be very limited at most locations. **Best Buy** still lists October 23 as the delivery date on its preorder page, but this applies only to new and upgrade subscribers with AT&T or Verizon, and the actual shipping date may be later.
Prices start at $1,999 for the 256GB model and rise to $3,199 for the 2TB model. That is the highest starting price in iPhone history, $700 more than the iPhone 18 Pro Max.
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“The most anticipated model since the iPhone X”…but supply is ‘severely constrained’
**Michael Simon**, who has covered Apple for more than 20 years, said it was hard to think of a model that had generated as much anticipation as the iPhone Duo since the iPhone X. Apple had also warned in advance that “demand would be very high,” while Apple-focused journalist Mark Gurman predicted earlier this month that supply would be limited. Apple reportedly increased its production orders for the iPhone Duo by about 30% ahead of preorders.
Still, some argue that an ‘early sellout’ does not necessarily mean demand is explosive. Apple writer **William Gallagher** speculated that Apple had produced a much smaller initial supply than usual, noting that an entirely new form factor makes demand difficult to predict. Another factor is that a global semiconductor shortage is increasing cost pressures across the electronics industry.
In December 2025, Apple analyst **Ming-Chi Kuo** warned that initial yield issues could delay a smooth supply ramp-up until 2027, and that shortages of foldable iPhones would continue at least through the end of 2026.
Last September, **GF Securities** analyst **Jeff Pu** cut his 2026 iPhone Duo shipment forecast from 7 million to 6 million, citing supply constraints on hinge components rather than weak demand. Later that month, a source familiar with Foxconn’s supply chain said that as of September 17, final assembly yield had barely exceeded 60%.
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