iPhone Duo review roundup: critics praise foldable, Apple caps orders

The first full reviews of the iPhone Duo, Apple's first foldable phone, were published this week ahead of deliveries starting on Friday, October 23, 2026, and most reviewers praise the device while warning about its price. At the same time, Apple has begun limiting online orders to two iPhone Duo units per customer. Reports on October 20 and 21 said the cap appears at checkout in the United States and in several other countries, including the UK, Japan and Spain, with the message "A maximum of 2 iPhone Duo can be purchased per customer."

A foldable phone has a flexible screen that opens like a book into a small tablet and closes into a normal-sized phone. Samsung, Google, Motorola and several Chinese makers have sold foldables for years, but the category has stayed small, held back by high prices, fragile screens and the visible crease where the display bends. Apple waited until 2026 to enter, and the first reviews are the first independent test of whether its version solves those problems.

The verdicts so far are positive on the hardware. One review called it a fully realised folding smartphone and said the crease is virtually invisible in daily use. Another said waiting to refine the design was the right move, but noted that the gears of the hinge sit under the fold and can be felt. A third reviewer called it fun, fresh and versatile, but "oh so expensive". These are reviewers' early impressions from a few days of use; how the screen and hinge hold up after months of folding is not yet known.

The two-unit limit tells a separate story about demand. Apple uses purchase caps when supply is short and it wants to stop resellers buying stock in bulk. Reports said that a 2TB unit had been listed for resale for as much as $5,000, well above its list price, and that some customers bought more than two units earlier in the pre-order window, before the cap appeared. Apple does not prominently show the limit on its product pages, according to reports.

For buyers in India, the cap matters less than supply. Long delivery queues abroad suggest that stock will stay tight in all markets in the first months, and buyers should rely on Apple's own delivery estimates rather than reseller listings.

Short-term: Buyers who did not pre-order early face waits that stretch into 2027, and the two-unit cap stops bulk buying through Apple's own store. Resale prices may stay high until supply catches up.

Long-term: A well-reviewed Apple foldable could push the whole category further into the mainstream and put pressure on rival makers to cut prices or improve their own designs.

Who is affected: People planning to buy the iPhone Duo, resellers, rival foldable makers such as Samsung and Google, and Apple's suppliers of flexible displays and hinges.

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