iPhone Duo release date: preorders open Oct. 16 as new press event emerges

Apple has confirmed the iPhone Duo release date as Friday, Oct. 23, with preorders opening a week earlier and a reported press event on Oct. 13 now on the calendar.

Apple confirmed that preorders for its first foldable phone open on Friday, Oct. 16, at the same moment worldwide. The company prefers to go live at 5 a.m. Pacific, which equals 8 a.m. Eastern and 1 p.m. in Britain, where British Summer Time stays in force until November.

Interest in the device is running high, and rumors point to restricted supply at the start, so the preorder window will likely get busy. Apple lets shoppers prepare in advance. On the iPhone Duo page on apple.com, customers can pick Night Sky or Star White, choose a storage size, decide whether to trade in a phone, select a payment method and carrier, and add AppleCare. A button near the bottom of the page saves those choices until Oct. 16.

The newest item on the schedule concerns review units. Apple commentator John Gruber wrote on Sept. 28 that Apple usually hands reviewers their devices midweek, on a Tuesday or Wednesday, during the week preorders begin. He stressed that he was guessing from past patterns and had no inside knowledge.

Two days later, Apple reporter Mark Gurman reported that Apple will hold an event on Oct. 13 to launch a smart home hub, a new Apple TV and a HomePod mini, with hands on time for the press. Another publication suggested that selected attendees could also leave with an iPhone Duo review unit. That would let Apple deliver the device in person before its Oct. 23 launch. Apple typically gives out review units about a week before a device goes on sale, so the timing fits. Apple has not confirmed the event. It usually announces such events a week or more ahead, so word could arrive next week. Apple also relies on secure channels to deliver products to the press.

Reviews normally appear during release week. The embargo usually lifts at the same time preorders open, 5 a.m. Pacific, which lets readers on the U.S. west coast see coverage from around the world early in the day. One technology columnist expects the first iPhone Duo reviews on Tuesday, Oct. 20 or Wednesday, Oct. 21. The iPhone 18 Pro reviews appeared on the Wednesday before that phone went on sale, a choice that gave critics extra time because Apple held its keynote on a Wednesday. Readers in Sydney may wait until as late as 11 p.m. on review day, because of the time difference and daylight saving time, which starts in Australia’s eastern states on Oct. 4.

Apple has confirmed Friday, Oct. 23 as the on sale date. If the company follows recent precedent, Apple Stores will open at 8 a.m. local time. Buyers in Sydney will therefore reach their stores many hours before people in Los Angeles wake up.

Apple announced the latest iPhone lineup on Sept. 9. The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max went on sale on Sept. 18, which leaves the most talked about model of the three, the iPhone Duo, as the only one still waiting to ship. The schedule keeps developing as the company approaches the October dates.