Growing Demand for Apple's iPhone Duo Among Chinese Consumers

As of Thursday, the 256GB variant of the iPhone Duo, priced at 15,999 yuan ($2,385), has drawn 1.29 million reservations on Apple's JD.com flagship store.

This surge in demand has sparked a vibrant resale and "proxy booking" market. On the Dewu App, seven pre-sale orders for the 256GB iPhone Duo have been completed, with the highest transaction price reaching 49,999 yuan and two orders at that level, while the lowest was 21,000 yuan. These resale prices represent a premium ranging from 5,001 yuan to 34,000 yuan above Apple’s official price.

Sources told China Daily that many app developers from China have traveled to Apple’s headquarters in the U.S. to learn how to swiftly adapt their apps for the iPhone Duo’s user interface. Adapting social networking apps to the foldable display typically takes two to three weeks, while gaming applications may require three to four weeks.

The increase in reservations highlights the significance of the Chinese market for Apple and showcases the potential of foldable devices. Counterpoint Research forecasts that cumulative global shipments of foldable smartphones will exceed 100 million units by the end of 2026, about eight years following the launch of the first commercial foldable device in 2019.

The firm predicts that the market will see a growth acceleration of 37 percent year-on-year by 2027, largely driven by the success of Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold8 series and Apple’s new entry into the foldable segment.