Some iPhone Duo preorders now show earlier delivery dates

Some people who preordered the iPhone Duo are seeing their delivery dates move up. 9to5Mac reports that the iPhone Duo was backordered into late January 2027 soon after preorders opened on Friday, but a number of customers now say their orders show earlier arrival windows.

The reports first came mostly from Japan. One user’s December date was moved to October 23. 9to5Mac later added that several US users are also reporting earlier delivery windows.

What is known about the shipping changes

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Apple opened preorders even though it knew it would struggle to build enough phones. According to that report, estimated shipping dates in many markets slipped to around January 2027 within half an hour of preorders going live.

So far the earlier dates appear to apply only to orders placed directly with Apple. Apple has not commented on the updated estimates.

Why it matters

The iPhone Duo is Apple’s folding-screen phone, and the backorder meant buyers who had waited for one faced several more months before getting it. Earlier dates for even some orders would shorten that wait.

SamMobile, in an opinion piece, argues that many of these buyers are people who watched Samsung’s foldables for years without switching. It says Samsung has shipped eight generations of folding phones and that moving to a Galaxy device would mean changing platforms and possibly replacing accessories such as an Apple Watch. In SamMobile’s view, those buyers wanted a folding screen on an iPhone specifically, and it suggests Samsung keep them in mind when designing its next foldables and rollable phones. That is the outlet’s opinion, not a reported finding about buyer behavior.

What we don’t know yet

It is unclear whether the earlier dates will spread to more regions or to more orders. 9to5Mac notes the new estimates could turn out to be errors that Apple reverts. Apple has not said how many units it has available or what is behind the date changes.