iPhone Duo Preorders Push to January 25, Setting Record Wait for Apple

Preorders opened at 5 a.m. PT/8 a.m. ET. The delay appeared across all configurations, so ordering a less popular color or capacity did not shorten the estimate, ZDNet reported. ZDNet said it asked Apple about the delay and planned to update its story with any response.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman attributed the backlog mainly to limited supply, pointing in his Power On newsletter to "extraordinary supply chain constraints" for the Duo. Gurman said the situation was worse than Apple had projected earlier in the year, and that as little as two months earlier, Apple thought it might not be able to launch the new iPhone until later in November.

As Apple’s first foldable, the Duo is harder to build than a typical iPhone. Reports have surfaced that some of the trickier components encountered heavy failure rates during manufacturing, restricting how many Duos could make it to the end of the production line, according to ZDNet. "Fortunately for those lusting after the foldable phone, Apple has managed to pull together enough inventory to make a release this month at least palatable," Gurman said. "Still, inventory will be limited. So plan ahead."

The January 25 estimate is longer than earlier iPhone preorder delays ZDNet cited. The iPhone 7 Plus saw initial delays of about two months, the iPhone X had shipping delays of five to six weeks, and the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max required about a month and a half, according to the report.

Apple is not the only preorder option. AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile are all offering Duo preorders, and their pages indicate shorter waits than Apple’s. AT&T lists a ship date of Nov. 9 or Dec. 1. Verizon promises the phone between Nov. 6 and Dec. 4. T-Mobile customers see estimates from Oct. 23 to Nov. 3. The estimates vary by color and configuration.

Certain retailers, including Best Buy, also list Duo preorders with an estimate of Oct. 23 to Nov. 3. Apple typically reserves a limited number of iPhones for in-store purchases even amid heavy preorders. The Duo goes on sale in the U.S. on Friday, Oct. 23, and carrier stores and third-party retailers may also have stock. ZDNet advised buyers to arrive early enough to be at the head of the line and to hope the store has the model they want.

For buyers who do not want to wait until 2027 for a Duo, the iPhone 18 Pro remains available. ZDNet noted it can be ordered from Apple’s website for delivery by the end of the month, or checked at local stores for inventory still in stock.