Apple’s iPhone Duo Delivery Dates Slip To Late January As Preorders Swamp Launch Inventory

Apple’s first foldable iPhone went up for preorder earlier this morning, with the earliest buyers securing delivery next Friday.

Shipping estimates quickly slipped into November, then December, with some iPhone Duo models now showing delivery dates as late as the end of January. The growing backlog suggests initial orders are outpacing available launch inventory.

Here’s more from Apple blog MacRumors:

The first customers who preordered right when preorders began at 5 a.m. Pacific Time today will have their iPhone Duo delivered on launch day, Friday, October 23. By just 5:30 a.m. Pacific Time, though, Apple’s online store in the U.S. was already showing a shipping date of January 25 for all iPhone Duo configurations.

• iPhone Duo / Star White / 256GB: January 25
• iPhone Duo / Star White / 512GB: January 25
• iPhone Duo / Star White / 1TB: January 25
• iPhone Duo / Star White / 2TB: January 25
• iPhone Duo / Night Sky / 256GB: January 25
• iPhone Duo / Night Sky / 512GB: January 25
• iPhone Duo / Night Sky / 1TB: January 25
• iPhone Duo / Night Sky / 2TB: January 25

Apple customers who were furious about the new delivery times took to X:

Within 5 minutes iPhone Duo Orders have slipped to Dec!! https://t.co/TPPvMz8B4H

— Rjey (@RjeyTech) October 16, 2026

Delivery dates for iPhone Duo are now 12/15 to 12/22 https://t.co/zKFyu4VhuM

— Ray Wong (@raywongy) October 16, 2026

Dang, Duo already backordered almost to February 2027 lol https://t.co/lRYTOyL6jh

— Christian Selig (@ChristianSelig) October 16, 2026

“Compared with the debut of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max in September, which went smoothly for customers who placed a timely order, securing an iPhone Duo was significantly more difficult,” Bloomberg reporter Chris Welch wrote.

With the first deliveries due next Friday and shipping estimates stretching into the end of January, scarce launch inventory could push resale prices on platforms such as eBay to double or triple the retail price. Whether buyers will pay those expected hefty resale prices, potentially as much as a fairly used 2008 Toyota Corolla, remains to be seen.

Demand outstripping launch inventory is great news for Apple’s new CEO, John Ternus.