$Apple(AAPL)$ The iPhone Duo is a passport-style foldable that opens from a 5.4-inch outer display into a 7.6-inch inner screen. Apple says that inner display is 50% larger than the iPhone 18 Pro Max's, which puts it close to iPad mini territory. It runs on the same A20 Pro chip as the iPhone 18 Pro, uses a titanium frame, moves Touch ID into the side button, and is eSIM-only worldwide.
That folding screen is the whole reason people want this phone. It's also the reason Apple can't make enough of them. Phones aren't supposed to bend, and the engineering to make a folding screen work is complex, expensive, and time-consuming. That's why the Duo is Apple's priciest iPhone.
It also means Apple won't have nearly enough units on hand when preorders open on Friday. China's Jiemian News reported that Foxconn's final assembly yield for the Duo was only slightly above 60% as of September 17. The hinge alone contains more than 100 components, and one supply chain source told Jiemian it could take another six months to a year for production to reach a mature yield.
Apple isn't the first company to run into this wall. Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 broke the company's foldable sales records in 2021, but supply lagged so far behind demand that some customers waited up to a month for their phones. This summer, the passport-style Galaxy Z Fold 8 sold out of every color and storage option in South Korea during preorders. Samsung asked suppliers to ramp up production mid-preorder, and reports say the extra demand has created a shortage of the chips that drive the phone's display.
Apple isn't usually a primary target for resellers. Most iPhones are easy to get within a week or two of launch, so there's little room for a premium. The Duo changes that equation. Expected scarcity and production problems that could last months already make it unusual, and Apple's brand prestige and the novelty of its first foldable add even more demand. I would expect to see eBay sales immediately after preorders open. Some early presale listings have already sold, including a 2TB model for $5,000 last month.
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