iPhone Duo pre-orders open October 16; Apple's first foldable starts at Rs 2,99,900

Apple's first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, goes on pre-order at 5 am Pacific Time on Friday, October 16, 2026, which is 5.30 pm in India, in more than 70 countries and regions, including India, the US, the UK, Japan, China and the UAE. Sales and deliveries begin on Friday, October 23, and the phone reaches 28 more countries on October 30, according to Apple's announcement. In the US it starts at $1,999 for 256GB of storage and goes up to $3,199 for 2TB. Indian prices, as reported from Apple's India website, start at Rs 2,99,900. Apple unveiled the phone on September 9 but scheduled its launch weeks after the iPhone 18 Pro models.

The iPhone Duo is Apple's first folding phone, and its price shows how Apple is positioning it. At $1,999, it costs about $700 more than the starting price of the iPhone 18 Pro models, which went on sale on September 18. Before the launch, several analysts expected an even higher price, with estimates ranging between $2,000 and $2,500. Apple came in just under $2,000, a figure it had reportedly aimed for early on.

There are trade-offs for buyers. Compared with the Pro models, the Duo has no Face ID and no telephoto lens, according to a US carrier's listing. Supply is also expected to be tight. A source close to Foxconn's supply chain told a Chinese outlet that final assembly yields for the phone were only slightly above 60 percent as of mid-September, and analysts expect Apple to ship about 6 million units in 2026. The early "Get Ready" step is Apple's way of speeding up checkout for buyers who want one before stock runs out.

For India, the inclusion in the first wave means buyers here get the phone on the same day as those in the US. At nearly Rs 3 lakh for the base model, though, it will be a niche purchase in a market where most smartphones sell for a small fraction of that. The phone will be sold through Apple's online store and partner retailers, and reports say through its own retail stores in India too.

Short-term: Pre-orders on October 16 will show how strong early demand is. With limited supply, delivery dates may slip quickly for those who do not order in the first hours.

Long-term: The Duo's sales will decide whether foldables become a regular part of Apple's line-up, and how hard competitors push their own folding phones on price.

Who is affected: Premium smartphone buyers in India and abroad, Apple's retail and online partners, rival foldable makers, and suppliers in Apple's manufacturing chain.

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