Leaked report exposes the flaw making 40% of iPhone Duos unusable
Apple is hoping to 'fold' the competition in half in 2026, and while statistics suggest the tech giant has already edged ahead of Samsung as the best-selling phone manufacturer in 2026. It's always a close-run race between the pair as they frequently leapfrog each other when a new product releases.
September always sees Apple get a boost thanks to its new iPhone release, but as we head into the final furlong of 2026, the fruit-named company is destined to get another bump thanks to the iPhone Duo.
While patents suggest Apple has been tinkering with the idea of a folding iPhone since as early as 2011, Samsung already has a jump on the competition thanks to the Galaxy Fold releasing in 2019.
How many iPhone Duos is Apple producing?
According to Chinese publication Jiemian News, Apple is rolling out the red carpet for the iPhone Duo and is trying to ramp up production. That should be good news, but due to Apple's exacting standards, a small production run is said to have only a 60% yield rate.
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For those who don't know what it means, a yield percentage is how many devices out of those produced are considered viable for sale.
As the iPhone Duo's release date looms, we're warned it could take anywhere between six months and a year for the overall yield rate to hit a mature level.
A source apparently close to Foxconn's assembly said: "The supply chain is now waiting for Apple to make a decision on whether to relax the quality requirements. If the quality requirements are relaxed, it will be possible to move towards mass production more quickly."
This isn't the only stumbling block, as Samsung displays, OLED panels, and those all-important parts for the Duo's Liquid Metal hinge are supposedly failing to hit the required yield.
A September 3 research report from Mizuho Securities mentions how screen crease issues are getting in the way of mass production.
All of this culminates in claims that Apple is targeting between six and eight million iPhone Duos being released in 2026, with sales guidance exceeding five million sales. Despite it being a more premium product, it pales in comparison to the mainstream Pro or Pro Max typically shipping between 20 and 30 million units per cycle.
A source added: "The folding phone is a separate model, and it won't start shipping until October this year, so sales won't be particularly high."
If things continue like this, the implication is that iPhone Duo pre-orders might struggle to keep up with customer demand, but as pre-orders aren't even out yet, it remains to be seen just how popular the first folding iPhone is.
Either way, with a 60% yield rate, it could also give bad actors a chance to exploit demand, so customers should watch out for iPhone Duo pre-order scams.
Here's where you can pre-order the new iPhone 18 Pro:
When does the iPhone Duo release?
Whereas the iPhone 18 went almost straight to market with the Pro and Pro Max, Apple has left the Duo to cook a little longer in the oven. Pre-orders for the first folding iPhone are just around the corner. October 12 marks the get-ready period where you can configure your model, carrier, and payment method, followed by pre-orders going live on October 16 at 5:00 a.m. Pacific Time.
The iPhone Duo will officially go on sale on Friday, October 23. Well, that's assuming any devices make it off the production line.
Whereas other flagship iPhones have an average of three days from release to pre-order, and 10 days from release to market launch, the iPhone Duo has been dragged out to 36 days and 43 days, respectively.
This elongated production time could have something to do with the Duo having an additional internal screen when compared to regular candy bar phones, as well as the hinge having an extra 100 parts.
Collectors and tech fans are sure to flock to the iPhone Duo, but according to Omdia data, global shipments of foldable smartphones are only set to reach 18.2 million in 2026. Representing a 6% year-on-year increase, it's the lowest in recent years. As global smartphone shipments are also supposed to top out at 1.26 billion units in 2026, foldable phones are still considered a niche product thanks to just 1.4% penetration.
One analyst has high hopes for the iPhone Duo, reminding us Apple's five million target would equate to around a quarter of the folding market. With that, there's a real chance folding iPhones could evolve to reach 30 million units in the next two to three years, then allowing Apple to make it a mainstream product.