iPhone Duo stuck on a January date? I wouldn't cancel that preorder yet

iPhone Duo preorders opened on Friday, October 16 at 8 a.m. ET and just about 30 minutes later every US model showed a ship date of January 25. That's a 2027 date, which has some buyers eyeing the iPhone 18 Pro Max or Galaxy Z Fold 8 instead of this $1,999 foldable phone.

As we shared earlier, Mark Gurman, Bloomberg's chief Apple correspondent, reported in his latest Power On newsletter that Apple knew its supply was severely limited, yet it proceeded with the launch anyway. Gurman calls it a "major mistake" on Apple's part.

But what if you went ahead with a preorder and got that dreaded January ship date? Should you cancel? Not if Apple's past launches are any indication.

What is going on with the iPhone Duo preorders

Preorders officially opened at 8 a.m. ET and buyers began to see November ship dates within minutes. It wasn't long until ship dates slipped to December, and by about 8:30 a.m. ET every color and storage tier had gone on backorder until January 25. Some people even saw January 29 ship dates.



That is outrageous on its own, and then we find out the reason why it happened. According to Gurman, the issue stemmed from Apple deciding to switch its original plan from initially launching the Duo in the US and China first to launching it in over 70 countries at once. Gurman says it appears the goal was to get the Duo out early so it could fit neatly into Apple's fiscal Q1 numbers (October to December).

Gurman asserted that this move by Apple would disappoint early adopters. I don't think it's any surprise that this has been the exact sentiment since preorders opened.

It should be noted that Gurman warned about this issue with the tight iPhone Duo supply weeks ago. He said that Apple scraped together just enough units to manage an October launch and advised buyers to plan ahead. He also correctly predicted that scalping would be a problem, which it has definitely been.

Why a January ship date isn't the final countdown

We've been here before, and reports have surfaced reminding us that Apple tends to under-promise and over-deliver when it comes to fulfilling orders. We've seen that trend happen with past preorder dates that often get moved up as production ramps up.



Although previous product launches with far-off fulfillment dates have had their wait time shortened before, none have had one this long. For context, a report puts the iPhone Duo's wait time at more than 3 months, while the iPhone X's wait was just about 6 weeks and the iPhone 7 Plus about 2 months.

The caveat here is the short supply. A report pointed at Foxconn's final assembly yielding just over 60% as of September 17, and another report says Apple was building only a few hundred Duos a day in late August. Ship dates can only move up as fast as the factory can get them out.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Pixel 11 Pro Fold owners have nothing to worry about

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 launched at $1,899, which is $100 less than the Duo. In our Duo vs Fold 8 comparison, we said the Z Fold 8 wins on size (9.7 mm vs 11.3 mm folded), weight (201 g vs 254 g) and price.

Also, the Z Fold 8 has already had a bump in sales in South Korea of about 10% the week after the Duo was revealed, according to a report. Analysts attribute this to several factors: a ₩1M price gap, weight and the long wait times. Of course, these are just the estimated numbers coming out of one country and not concrete data.

So, for Fold 8 and Pixel 11 Pro Fold owners, this doesn’t really change anything for you. For Samsung and Google, this may turn out to be good news and an opening for them this holiday season.

Who's stuck waiting for their iPhone Duo and why you shouldn't cancel

If you ordered an iPhone Duo after the first few minutes that preorders opened, you are very likely stuck with a January ship date. For those who were unable to choose in-store pickup and saw that notification to check back for availability on Saturday, October 24, there's a sliver of hope. What eventually becomes available in-store could beat a January ship date if stock happens to land.

However, if you have that dreaded January ship date, DON'T CANCEL. This preorder holds your place in line in case stock improves and Apple begins fulfilling orders faster. If you cancel your preorder and try to place the order again, you have effectively kicked yourself to the back of the line.

iPhone Duo preorder dreams

It's simple. Hold on to your existing preorder even if you don't like the date. If you chose to try your luck by preordering from another retailer or carrier that gave you a better date, I would personally wait until I know for sure the device has shipped before I would mess around with the Apple preorder. Then, and only then, should you cancel.

My preorder that is currently scheduled for November 16-23 hasn't moved, but I'm hoping Apple starts moving these dates up before the holidays, especially for those who got a January date.

More on the iPhone Duo launch:

• How fast iPhone Duo ship dates slipped
• Everything we know about the iPhone Duo
• Apple iPhone Duo

• Follow me on X and Threads

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