The iPhone Duo may prove difficult to buy at launch, with limited supply expected to leave Apple’s foldable open to scalpers within a short time of its release. Even with a strategically delayed October launch, the device is likely to fall victim to shortages quickly.
Apple is only able to prepare a limited number of units for market, and that constraint could shape how the phone reaches buyers in its opening months.
Why shortages could favour scalpers
Apple insider Mark Gurman, in his newsletter Power On, predicts high demand for the iPhone Duo. Given how few units will be available for the foreseeable future, he believes the Duo will become a high-priority target for scalpers.
These buyers are expected to purchase the phone in bulk and resell it overseas, in regions that have not yet received the Duo. Prices for these resold units are expected to run much higher than the normal starting price of around £1,570. The iPhone Duo is also likely to appear on eBay at inflated prices. The shortage could worsen as scalpers keep buying available stock while ordinary customers attempt to order the phone for themselves or as gifts.
Some Apple fans, by contrast, think the iPhone Duo will not prove as popular as Gurman expects because of its cost. Gurman notes that Apple’s leasing programme will likely reach other regions soon enough.
A harder sell at a premium price
If Gurman’s predictions hold, the foldable could become even harder to justify for most average consumers. It already starts at around £1,570, a significant outlay for many buyers. At prices higher still, some of Apple’s most committed fans might wait for supply to settle before considering a purchase.
It is worth noting that Apple’s phones have performed exceptionally well since the launch of the iPhone 17, and a similar outcome may be possible for the iPhone Duo.
What it signals for foldables
Should this scenario play out, it would underline how Apple’s entry into a new category reshapes it. Foldable smartphones have drawn far more attention since the introduction of the iPhone Duo. Reselling at inflated prices would frustrate ordinary buyers, while the launch itself would still generate substantial revenue for Apple.
The iPhone Duo starts at around £1,570.
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Image: phonearena.com
