The upcoming launch of the iPhone Duo is at the forefront of all our thoughts here at Tom’s Guide, especially the issue of whether we’ll be able to score a pre-order and how long we’ll have to wait if we do. Pre-orders open this Friday (October 16th) at 8am ET ahead of an official release on October 23rd. But when will these units actually arrive?
I’m still waiting for the iPhone 18 Pro Max that I ordered a month ago, and they were available in much larger numbers. So I shudder to think how long people will have to wait for their iPhone Duo orders to be delivered.
Projected demand for the iPhone Duo is high, and despite the high price tag, analysts have been predicting shortages for months. It’s not hard to see why, when you consider the fact that Apple will only ship a few million iPhone Duo units this year – compared to the tens of millions of non-folding iPhones.
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The good news is, any projected shortage won’t last forever. Especially not now that Apple has increased its iPhone Duo orders by about 30%.
More duos means more availability
The report in question comes from the Securities Times in China, which claims that Apple is predicting much higher demand for the iPhone Duo than previously expected. The report notes that earlier estimates indicated 6 to 7 million units produced this year, but now that number is closer to 10 million.
This comes on the back of reports that Apple has reduced production targets for the iPhone 18 Pro by 10 to 15%, while increasing production of the iPhone 18 Pro Max by the same amount.
The 10 million figure is not new, and previous reports have suggested that Apple may have ordered anywhere from 7 to 10 million iPhone Duo units. However, we never got a real confirmation of that, and the news that Apple could increase the future supply of its first folding bar can only be a good thing for potential buyers.
For what? Because this means that any short-term shortage of the iPhone Duo is likely to be temporary. Apple wants to get its foldable into as many willing hands as it can, and the more it produces, the easier that will inevitably be.
In other words, if you’re struggling to get your hands on the iPhone Duo upon release, whether it’s by pre-ordering online or buying from a retail store, patience will be your best friend. Which also means you absolutely shouldn’t give in to FOMO and buy an overpriced iPhone Duo from a scalper.
Never give in to the scalpers
Scalpers are an unscrupulous lot, and they will happily take advantage of demand to try to make themselves a few extra dollars. We’ve seen major problems arise in recent years, and it got particularly bad during the COVID-19 pandemic, when consumer electronics were in short supply as demand exploded.
PS5s were a popular target for scalpers at the time, as were Nintendo Switches, Xboxes and graphics cards. More recently, there have been serious problems with scalpers targeting hobbies, notably Pokémon cards, and any other product that can easily be flipped for a profit.
A high-profile release like the iPhone Duo is ripe for scalpers to try to take advantage. I can guarantee that, come Friday, sites like eBay will be flooded with listings offering quick access to the folding price. Obviously you shouldn’t cave in and give them what they want.
Buying from scalpers not only encourages them to keep doing what they’re doing and force the rest of us to pay even more for already expensive products, but it’s also unnecessary.
The supply will eventually bounce back
We have shipping delays every time Apple releases a new iPhone, with a particular model or color proving to be far more popular than Apple apparently predicted. So those people with their hearts set on that specific iPhone will end up having to wait a little longer. The ratio of supply and demand is always the same, and the sought-after models inevitably cease to be so elusive.
Sometimes it happens in a few weeks; for others it is several months. The fact is that Apple is in business to make money by selling as many iPhones as possible. Unlike some companies that seem to thrive on artificial scarcity, that was never really part of Apple’s playbook. The fact that it increased its iPhone Duo order is proof of that.
Plus, you have to remember that Apple offers a 2-week return policy in the US. This means scalpers can buy the iPhone Duo, safe in the knowledge that any unsold units can be returned for a full refund within 14 days of receiving them. We’re seeing this happen with the Apple Vision Pro, both from scalpers and potential buyers who decided the $3,500 vision computer wasn’t for them.
That’s important because unscaled units will be redistributed into the iPhone Duo supply chain, and sold to someone else — hopefully someone who actually wants to use it. This should also lead to a reduction in waiting times, but all this will be for nothing if people give the scalpers what they want.
How to secure your iPhone Duo pre-order
iPhone Duo pre-orders open on Friday, October 16 at 5am PT / 8am ET / 1pm BST, and that will be your first opportunity to secure an Apple foldable for yourself. Of course, anyone who wants a Duo will have the same idea, and will flock to Apple’s website to try to grab one for themselves – and right now, there’s no way of knowing how hectic the process will be.
The good news is that Apple is already letting customers pre-order their pre-orders. This doesn’t guarantee you an iPhone Duo, but it does let you get through most of the pre-order process in advance. That means confirming the configuration you want, which carrier you need to sign up for, and making sure all the financial controls that need to take place are all approved and finalized before Friday morning.
So when the pre-orders open, all you have to do is go to your basket on the Apple website and confirm the order that has already been set up. The few minutes you save could be the difference between getting your iPhone Duo soon or waiting a few more weeks.
Alternatively, you can try your luck elsewhere. Third-party carriers will stock the iPhone Duo, and may experience less demand than Apple itself. Similarly, you can try your luck at your nearest Apple Store on October 23, and get to experience the personalized messaging that Apple is said to be adding to Duo purchases in the store. There will probably be a line, so I recommend getting there early. At least the abnormally warm October weather means you’re less likely to catch a chill standing in line.
Just don’t buy from a scalper. The iPhone Duo is expensive enough, and there’s no real benefit to paying more to get your hands on one.
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