iPhone Duo Launch: Massive Lines Meet Instant Sell-Out Until January

Today marks the official launch of the iPhone Duo, Apple's very first foldable phone. The moment has drawn massive crowds to retail locations across the globe. Photographs taken in London, Bangkok, and Sydney reveal long snaking lines stretching out from the flagship stores as people rush to secure the device.

The excitement is palpable on social media. One user posted a clip of a packed queue alongside a caption that reads: 'This is Apple Galaxy Macau. We're still 48 hours from launch time, but there's already a huge crowd.' The image clearly shows a massive group waiting outside.

Despite the hype, reality has been harsh for eager buyers. Pre-orders opened last week at 1pm BST on October 16, only to crash almost immediately. Stocks vanished faster than expected. Every color and memory option went missing within minutes. No combination remains available until January 22. One shopper noted online that 'Every variation of the iPhone Duo is sold out until January 2027…..all within 1 hour of pre-orders opening!' Another complained that the site was showing errors, making it impossible to place an order at all.

The situation turned messy quickly. Many fans felt let down by the shipping delays and empty carts. 'The iPhone Duo was a disaster; pre-orders are being cancelled,' said one frustrated customer who tried to buy online. A third user simply called it the 'Worst iPhone pre order day of all time.'

Because the digital route proved blocked, thousands turned physical. They walked straight into stores hoping to grab a unit from the shelf before anyone else could. The Daily Mail confirmed these findings by checking Apple's own website and seeing that no model ships before late January. This forced many desperate buyers to take the old-fashioned route: standing in line at an actual store.

The scene outside the Covent Garden location this morning looked similar to reports from Shanghai, where people waited near the Jing'an Store. In Sydney, the queue formed just as quickly after the doors opened. It seems that when online sales failed so badly, the only way left was to be there in person and hope for luck.

Good job Apple!" was the sentiment echoing through waiting rooms and online forums as delivery dates retreated rapidly under the weight of surging pre-order demand. Early buyers were told their phones would arrive in November or December, yet those arriving late found nothing but silence until January rolled around. One shopper even took to X to complain that their checkout date had slipped from October 23 to November 9 right before their eyes. "Ordered Apple stuff for years never seen this happen," an exasperated customer wrote about the situation.

The iPhone Duo arrives in a single form factor, but buyers can still choose between four storage tiers. The base 256GB model runs £1,999 or $1,999, while the 512GB version climbs to £2,199/$2,199. Pushing toward the top end, the 1TB variant hits £2,599/$2,599, and the massive 2TB option reaches £3,199/$3,199.

The device mimics the squat, book-like silhouette of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8, keeping the screen wider than it is tall when unfolded. Both the inner and outer panels share a 1.4 aspect ratio to ensure apps never distort or leave awkward dead spaces when switching views. The outer display sits at 5.4in, while the inner screen stretches out to 7.6in. Users can prop the device up half-open for hands-free movie watching or hold it partially folded like a book in any orientation they prefer.

Multitasking becomes possible thanks to the new A20 Pro chipset, which lets users run different apps on either side of the split screen. Apple states the display will also support the Apple Pencil just like an iPad, marking the first time this feature appears on an iPhone. On the rear face, the phone uses the same 48-megapixel camera found in the iPhone 18 Pro.

Maya Jama took to Instagram to confirm she secured her unit ahead of the official release. Meanwhile, resellers stood outside Apple Stores in Hong Kong holding boxes of the new device on October 22, 2026. In Seoul, Park Ha-min, a pre-order customer celebrating with an employee at the Myeongdong store, held his phone after receiving it on its launch day. Elsewhere, early adopters waited in lines while latecomers faced empty shelves.