Apple lifts iPhone Duo output by 44% as foldable reaches stores Friday

Apple has reportedly told assembler Foxconn and its component makers to raise the 12-month shipment target for the iPhone Duo by 44%. This would take the production figures from 9.7 million to 14 million units, just one day before the $1,999 foldable reaches stores. Apple has, however, not confirmed the figures.

Preorders emptied in minutes

Apple opened preorders for the Duo on October 16, but it sold out in record time. Within minutes, delivery estimates had gone past the October 23 launch date to as far back as late January, according to CBS News reports.

Max Weinbach of the research firm Creativestrat wrote on X that the device sold out at every store near New York and Connecticut inside three minutes.

To curb potential resale tactics, Apple capped orders at two per customer. This has done little to stop the resellers, though.

Yahoo Finance found eBay listings for the Duo, including unfulfilled preorders, at prices of over $4,000. This is about twice the $1,999 starting price for the 256 GB model.

A 44% bump in production amid multiple forecasts

DigiTimes reported on October 22 that Apple had asked Foxconn and its other component suppliers to increase production by 44% to 14 million units over the next 12 months, citing supply-chain sources.

9to5Mac corroborated the report, noting that Apple had described preorder demand as “extraordinary,” a term often used around iPhone launches.

Other estimates sit well below 14 million. JPMorgan analysts expect Apple to sell between 8 million to 9 million Duos in 2026, according to CNBC. China’s Securities Times reported that supply would remain below 10 million units till the end of the year, despite an earlier 30% increase in orders.

Dan Ives, a partner at Yorkville Ives, made a sales prediction of about 10 million units over the next few quarters, going as high as 25 million in 2027.

Limited walk-in stock, and reviewers’ reservations

Buyers without a preorder may struggle to get a phone. An Apple spokesperson said stores would have limited stock of the Duo for walk-in customers and added that the phones were expected to sell out quickly.

Customers in Macau, where the Duo is set to be sold only in stores, started a queue hours before sales opened, according to Reuters.

Early reviews praised the Duo’s hinge and hardware while stating a few drawbacks. These included the lack of a telephoto camera and third-party apps that were not as well adapted to the larger screen. They also mentioned a particular inconvenience when using the phone for quick tasks in a folded position.

In its review, 9to5Mac flagged app support as a key issue while adding that Apple is already testing a second-generation Duo with Face ID.

Why November 2 matters more than the launch

The new Duo device marks Apple’s biggest iPhone redesign since the device launched in 2007. This comes with major implications for its business. Apple’s iPhone generated $209.58 billion of the company’s $416.16 billion in fiscal 2025 revenue, while Services brought in only $109.15 billion, according to Yahoo Finance.

The Duo’s launch will not affect Apple’s fiscal Q4 results which are due November 2, since the September quarter ended before the phone went on sale. Its sales will instead count toward the December quarter.

Loop Capital recently lowered its rating on Apple to Hold from Buy. The brokerage firm’s reason is that the company would not recover the sales lost from planned iPhone production cuts in the second half of the year. Apple shares closed at $348.30 on October 22, up 1.25%.

IDC, however, expects the tech giant to capture 44% of the foldable phone market’s value in 2026, despite accounting for 31% of unit sales. The tech research firm also expects the company to lead the market by 2027.