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Those who missed out on the iPhone Duo on Friday saw delivery dates stretching to the end of January. Since the weekend, the first orders have appeared with delivery dates suddenly moved forward – in some cases by several weeks. At the same time, there are other customers whose delivery dates have changed.
Since Friday, October 16, Apple's first foldable iPhone has been available to pre-order. Within minutes, delivery dates in the Apple Online Store slipped from the October 23 launch into December and eventually to the end of January 2027. Apple itself described the demand as extraordinary. Now the first buyers are reporting that their delivery date is earlier than shown when they placed their order. All the key details about the device are in the overview of the iPhone Duo with prices and dates.
Key Facts at a Glance
- Since the weekend, some pre-orders for the iPhone Duo have shown an earlier delivery date, in some cases a sales launch on October 23rd.
- Most of the reports come from Japan and concern orders placed directly with Apple.
- At the same time, buyers are reporting that their delivery date has been pushed back from October 23rd to the beginning of November.
- In 2017, Apple also brought forward some of the pre-orders for the iPhone X by two weeks.
Japan as the focus of the news
Most reports of earlier release dates come from Japan. Numerous orders placed there over the weekend showed a new date. One buyer documented on X that his iPhone Duo, originally announced for December, is now expected to arrive on the October 23rd launch date.
According to current reports, only orders placed directly with Apple are affected.
Opposing cases: Appointment is postponed
The picture is inconsistent. In a user forum about delivery status, several buyers describe the opposite. For them, the Apple Store app initially showed October 23rd when they placed their order, but the confirmation email then stated a delivery window of November 2nd to 9th.
Others report that appointments were pushed back further after a change of delivery address. An earlier appointment that was subsequently reversed has not yet been documented.
iPhone X as a model
This pattern isn't entirely new. With the iPhone X in 2017, Apple also moved up a portion of pre-orders by two weeks shortly before launch. A customer with an appointment between November 10th and 17th received their device on the official release date of November 3rd. Only a portion of the pre-orders were moved up at that time.
Why it's worth checking your order status
I consider the reports a good sign, but not a trend reversal. The opposing cases show how fluid the dates are in both directions shortly before the start, and a cluster in a single country says little about the situation in other markets.
If you ordered an iPhone Duo with a delivery date in December or January, it's worth checking your order status with Apple in the next few days. Further news about the foldable iPhone can be found on the iPhone Duo topic page.
Has your delivery date changed since you ordered – either earlier or later? Write your old and new dates in the comments.
