Customers try out the new iPhone Duo at a Apple Store in Shanghai on October 25, 2026. Photo: VCG
Apple’s first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo, has fallen below its official list price through some sales channels just three days after going on sale in China, while its resale premium has plunged compared with earlier this month, according to media reports.
Meanwhile, Apple customer service staff said on Monday that many customers have canceled orders.
Since its launch, the iPhone Duo has also drawn complaints on Chinese social media over alleged quality-control issues, which the Global Times cannot independently verify. Some users have reported issues including cracking at the hinge or screen and black bars in apps on the large display. Others have complained about high repair costs.
Although some orders on Apple’s official website still showed estimated delivery dates as late as January 2027, some distributors were already offering units in stock at prices below the official price.
The iPhone Duo was officially launched on Friday, with prices in China starting at 15,999 yuan ($2,399) for the 256-gigabyte version, making it Apple’s most expensive iPhone ever. According to media reports, pre-orders opened at 8 pm on October 16, and the first batch sold out quickly.
However, some Chinese consumers have used platforms’ subsidies to buy the 256-gigabyte version for 15,499 yuan, according to reports by several media outlets.
“Third-party channels may offer platform subsidies or store discounts, while prices on Apple’s official website are more stable,” an Apple customer service representative told Zhongxin Jingwei, a media account affiliate with China News Service, on Monday, in response to questions about the iPhone Duo selling below its official list price.
Third-party dealers’ return and exchange policies may differ from Apple’s, while Apple’s official channels support a 14-day no-questions-asked return policy, the representative said, adding that some third-party sellers may cut prices when they have ample stock but relatively few buyers.
The customer service representative also said that some customers whose orders show long waiting times may receive their devices earlier than estimated. “For example, delivery may be brought forward if production increases or customers ahead of them in the queue cancel their orders. So far, many customers have canceled their orders,” the representative said.
The resale premium has also narrowed dramatically. On Monday on Dewu, a Chinese e-commerce platform also known as Poizon internationally, the latest transaction price for the 256-gigabyte iPhone Duo was 16,289 yuan, only 290 yuan above the official price.
In early October, the same model’s secondary-market transaction price reached 26,462 yuan, a premium of more than 10,000 yuan, according to media reports.
Meanwhile, the topic “iPhone Duo WeChat incompatibility” previously topped trending searches on Chinese social media.
In response, an Apple customer service representative said the company had not received any reports of incompatibility involving WeChat, QQ or other apps on the iPhone Duo.
The representative added that iPhone Duo units are tested before being put on sale and that the product would not have been released if incompatibility issues had been found.
The claims of incompatibility circulating so far are based on third-party tests, the representative said, advising users to refer to official information.
Global Times
