Missed the Preorder? You Could Still Snag an iPhone Duo This Friday
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Earlier this week, we reported that Apple Store staff were being told to strongly discourage walk-in iPhone Duo customers on Friday. While that’s undoubtedly still the case, it seems that the company has acknowledged that early birds might still be able to pick one up on launch day — if they’re lucky.
“On Friday morning, our teams look forward to welcoming customers at Apple Stores to experience iPhone Duo and the incredible iPhone line-up for themselves,” Apple said in a statement to several media outlets. “Apple Stores will have limited iPhone Duo available for walk-in customers, and we’re working hard to get this revolutionary new product into customers’ hands as quickly as possible.”
This won’t be the case everywhere, though. Apple has provided a list of specific countries and regions where inventory for walk-in purchases will or won’t be available.
Specifically, you’ll have a chance of getting your hands on an iPhone Duo on Friday morning in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Macao, Mexico, the Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the UK, and the US. Italy will also have inventory at most stores, but not all.
Folks won’t be so fortunate in China Mainland, France, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and the UAE, where only pickup will be available for those who have already preordered online.
On Saturday, MacRumors r reported that some Apple retail employees had been advised that “there will likely be no iPhone Duo stock available for walk-in purchases on launch day,” and were being “instructed to discourage customers” from coming in unless they already had a preorder. Of course, a lot can change in five days, so it’s possible Apple has been able to supply its stores with at least some stock.
Regardless, the key word here is “limited.” There are no hints as to how many iPhone Duo units individual stores will be receiving, but it’s a safe bet that whatever they do have will go quickly, considering how fast preorders effectively sold out last Friday, with shipping dates shifting into 2027 in minutes after the gates opened.
Nevertheless, Apple always reserves some stock for its retail stores, as it’s not a good PR move to have nothing at all to sell to walk-in customers — even if those supplies are limited.
Based on preorder demand, there will undoubtedly be lineups forming at some of the more popular Apple Stores, and none of the ones we’ve spoken to are saying how many units they’re getting beyond vague terms like “a few” or “limited quantities.”
The scarcity of the iPhone Duo has resulted in the kind of iPhone scalping that we haven’t seen in years, with some eBay sellers asking well into the five figures for the base versions of the foldable that normally sell for $1,999.
It’s highly unlikely these will sell for nearly that much — those are simply the “Buy It Now” prices — but it’s enough that Apple is now limiting iPhone Duo purchases to two per customer even for online orders. It’s likely a similar policy will be enforced for walk-ins on Friday.
