iPhone Duo release date: Apple's $1,999 foldable goes on sale 23 October, sold out to January

The iPhone Duo release date is Friday, 23 October 2026. That's when Apple's first foldable iPhone goes on sale in the US, India and more than 70 other countries and regions. The catch: if you didn't pre-order in the first few hours on 16 October, you almost certainly won't get one this week. Pre-orders sold out through January, and Apple Store staff reportedly expect no stock for walk-in buyers on launch day.

Our 45-second version, with the price and release dates:

Here's what the iPhone Duo is, what it costs, and how the launch is going.

Image: Apple (press release, 9 September 2026)

What is the iPhone Duo release date?

Apple unveiled the iPhone Duo on 9 September. Its own newsroom lists three dates:

• Pre-orders: Friday 16 October, from 5 a.m. Pacific time.
• Release: Friday 23 October, in the US, India, the UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, China and more than 70 countries and regions in total.
• Second wave: Friday 30 October, for 28 more countries and regions.

Apple's India newsroom confirms India is in the first wave, with the same 16 and 23 October dates. The phone ships with iOS 27.1.

What is the iPhone Duo?

It's a phone that opens like a book. Closed, you use a 5.4-inch outer screen, which Apple says gives about 90% of the screen area of an iPhone 18 Pro. Open, it becomes a 7.6-inch display, 50% larger than the iPhone 18 Pro Max. Both screens are Super Retina XDR panels with ProMotion and the same shape, so apps don't jump between odd aspect ratios.

Image: Apple (press release, 9 September 2026)

How it works

The hard part of any foldable is the fold. Apple's answer is a hinge with more than 100 components that supports the centre of the screen to hold it flat when open, plus a built-in magnet array that snaps it shut. The inner screen uses glass layers that can slide against each other to relieve bend stress, with a titanium plate underneath. Apple says the design "minimizes crease visibility". It doesn't claim the crease is gone.

Inside is the A20 Pro, a 2-nanometre chip with a 6-core CPU that Apple says is up to 20% faster than the A19 Pro. Because the phone is two thin halves, the battery is split too: one high-energy battery in each half. Apple quotes up to 24 hours of mixed use, and up to 50% charge in about 20 minutes over a wired fast charger.

When open, it runs two apps side by side in Split View, and the camera can use the outer screen to show your subject a preview.

Image: Apple (press release, 9 September 2026)

How much does the iPhone Duo cost?

In the US, the iPhone Duo costs:

• 256 GB: $1,999
• 512 GB: $2,199
• 1 TB: $2,599
• 2 TB: $3,199

In India, Apple's newsroom gives a starting price of ₹2,99,900 for the 256 GB model. Apple's own iPhone Duo Case costs $79 (₹8,900), and a Folio with a kickstand costs $129 (₹14,900). It comes in two colours: star white and night sky.

Graphic: NextDiff, from Apple, MacRumors, 9to5Mac and Daring Fireball.

Why is the iPhone Duo sold out?

Demand ran far ahead of supply. When pre-orders opened on 16 October, delivery estimates slid from late October to November, then December, then January. Daring Fireball, citing MacRumors, reported it was sold out through the end of January about three hours after orders opened, with Apple's US store showing a 25 January estimate for every configuration.

Apple told CNBC the demand was "nothing short of extraordinary", according to 9to5Mac, and said it would keep taking orders online.

For launch day, MacRumors reported that Apple Store employees were told there will likely be no iPhone Duo stock for walk-in customers, and to discourage people without pre-orders from coming in. Meanwhile, resellers are listing pre-orders well above Apple's prices.

Should you wait?

If you want one this year, carriers and big retailers may get separate allocations, so check them as well as Apple. Apple's site suggests checking store availability again from 24 October, but that's not a promise of stock.

Two caveats before you chase a $2,000 phone:

• It's a first-generation Apple foldable. Crease, hinge wear and repair costs over years of use aren't known yet. Reviews and teardowns will tell us more after 23 October.
• Some AI features roll out later. Apple says its new Siri AI starts in English, adds more languages in October, and isn't initially available in the EU.

Apple's bet is that a phone that becomes a small tablet is worth paying iPad-plus-iPhone money for. The first three hours of pre-orders suggest plenty of people agree. For more on how AI assistants are changing what our screens show, see our story on ChatGPT's Intelligent UI.