iPhone Duo Pre-Orders Begin October 16 as Apple Readies Major Retail Push, Says Gurman

Apple's first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, will soon be available to order. Pre-orders open on Friday, October 16, ahead of the phone's sale on October 23. The iPhone Duo was announced early last month in markets around the world, including India, but has not yet reached store shelves. Those hoping to grab one early may need to act fast, as initial supply is expected to be limited because of production delays.

Hundreds of Demo Units Headed to Stores

Apple is planning a large-scale retail campaign for the iPhone Duo, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported in his latest Power On newsletter. According to Gurman, the company wants the foldable to grab the attention of anyone who visits an Apple Store, and is sending far more demo units than usual so that more people can try it.

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The biggest share is going to Apple's flagship Fifth Avenue store in New York. Over 150 iPhone Duo units will be on hand there for customers to try and for in-store displays, and the store will also have a separate space set aside for the phone. Around 100 units are headed to the Apple Park Visitor Center in Cupertino. Key stores in Chicago, Los Angeles and Manhattan will each get between 30 and 40 devices, while regular Apple Stores will receive roughly 20 units on average. With fewer devices to go around, smaller stores are likely to see longer queues for a hands-on.

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Special Displays for the Folding Design

Apple is also creating new display zones to show off the phone's folding design, Gurman said. These areas, called “The Avenue,” will be set up along the sides of stores. Some flagship stores will additionally get spotlight tables in the centre, with custom fixtures built to demonstrate how the phone folds and unfolds. The idea is to put the foldable form factor front and centre for shoppers.

Customised MagSafe stands will also be used to place an opened-up iPhone Duo between two standard iPhone models. This lets shoppers see how the screen sizes stack up and try the foldable's StandBy mode, while still being able to lift the phone off the stand.

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iPhone Duo Specifications and Price in India

The iPhone Duo has a 7.6-inch foldable display inside and a 5.4-inch screen on the outside. It is powered by Apple's A20 Pro chip with 12GB of RAM and starts with 256GB of storage. The phone runs iOS 27 and has two 48-megapixel cameras on the back.

In India, the iPhone Duo will be available from October 23, priced from Rs 2,99,900.

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