Apple's foldable iPhone Duo launches in South Korea; some pre-orders sold out in a minute

Apple's first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, went on sale in South Korea on 23 October. Newsis reported, citing Apple, that sales began that day in more than 70 countries and regions, including Korea, the United States and Japan, with 28 more countries and regions to follow on 30 October. Korean pre-orders had started at 21:00 on 16 October. [ 3 , 5 , 6 ]

Newsis said the phone folds inward like a book. Closed, it has a 5.4-inch outer screen; opened, a 7.6-inch inner screen. The phone is 5.2 mm thick unfolded and 11.3 mm folded, and weighs 254 g. Newsis listed the A20 Pro chip, dual batteries, 48-megapixel main and ultra-wide cameras, Touch ID instead of Face ID, and eSIM-only activation. Korean list prices are 3.29 million won for 256GB, 3.59 million won for 512GB, 4.19 million won for 1TB and 5.09 million won for 2TB. [ 3 ]

According to Newsis, delivery dates for all models on Apple's official online store slipped to January next year about 30 minutes after pre-orders opened, and Apple's Korean stores sell only pre-ordered units for pickup, with no walk-in purchases. At Apple Myeongdong in Seoul, about 100 people were estimated to be waiting before the store opened at 08:00, and about 200 customers had booked pickup between 08:00 and 09:00. The first customer, a 34-year-old creative director named Park Seong-geon, had waited more than 17 hours from about 14:40 on 22 October. Newsis also cited an analysis that, with supply limited, first-day queues are hard to link directly to sales demand. [ 3 , 6 ]

Carriers reported fast pre-order sellouts. SK Telecom said the first round of pre-orders on T Direct Shop, with delivery guaranteed on launch day, closed within one minute. KT said the first- and second-round stock of its 256GB and 512GB models sold out within one minute, and that the full stock for both rounds closed in 40 minutes. Star White was preferred over Night Sky at all three carriers; at KT it was chosen by 7 in 10 customers, and at LG Uplus by 69.4%. At SK Telecom, customers in their 30s made up 36% of pre-orders and those in their 40s 35%. [ 5 , 7 ]

The carriers offered insurance and trade-in plans. SK Telecom launched the 17,000-won-a-month T iPhone Care, KT launched Phone Care iDuo and Phone Change iDuo, and LG Uplus promoted its 70% Compensation Pass. Newsis also reported Apple's screen repair price of 1.649 million won without warranty and a 549,000-won two-year AppleCare+ fee, with a 120,000-won deductible for inner-screen damage. [ 3 , 7 ]

Maeil Business, in a hands-on report, wrote that the fold crease was barely visible from the front, though a slight difference could be felt by touch. It said KakaoTalk, Naver Band and other apps had been adjusted for the foldable screen. Separately, the materials supplier ICH said it supplies PE foam for the phone and expects its fourth-quarter volume to more than double. [ 1 , 8 , 9 ]