by CHEN Xiaotong

Apple's first foldable iPhone sold out almost immediately after preorders opened in China on Friday, with new buyers now facing delivery delays of up to three months and resale prices soaring above official retail prices.

Preorders for the iPhone Duo began at 8 p.m. on October 16, briefly overwhelming Apple's website and app, as well as several major Chinese e-commerce platforms.

By Saturday morning, Apple's China website showed an estimated shipping date of January 22, 2027, for new orders, Jiemian News found. The first batch is scheduled for delivery on October 23.

The supply crunch has driven sharp price increases on Chinese resale platforms.

On Dewu, a popular Chinese marketplace, the 1TB black model was trading at an average of 28,642 yuan (about US$4,030), a premium of 7,143 yuan over its official price. The entry-level 256GB black version fetched 22,085 yuan, nearly 38% above its 15,999 yuan retail price.

Apple's most expensive iPhone to date starts at 15,999 yuan in China, with the top-end 2TB model priced at 26,499 yuan.

Supply constraints may persist. Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman suggested that Apple had launched the device before sufficient inventory was available, with supplies unlikely to reach reasonable levels until November.

Supply-chain sources cited in the Chinese report put the device's manufacturing yield at just 65%, although the figure has not been independently verified.

The iPhone Duo features a 7.6-inch foldable display and a titanium frame. Its complex construction also brings steep repair costs, with an inner-screen replacement estimated at 7,998 yuan without AppleCare+.

Research firm TrendForce forecasts that Apple could ship about 5 million iPhone Duo units in 2026, capturing nearly a quarter of the global foldable smartphone market.