SYDNEY — Sales of Apple’s first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, began on Friday, putting the device at the center of expectations that it could transform the small foldables market in the way the original iPhone reshaped smartphones.

The Duo’s reception is also an early test for Apple’s new chief executive, John Ternus. The former hardware chief unveiled the phone barely a week after taking charge in September. That makes the Duo the first defining product decision of his tenure. Apple’s entry could have broader implications for a niche category where rivals including Samsung Electronics and Huawei Technologies have marketed premium devices for several years.

Within minutes of pre-orders opening last Friday, Apple’s estimated delivery dates for the Duo had moved to late January as demand exceeded supply. The US company described the customer response as “nothing short of extraordinary.” Those slipped delivery dates are the launch’s first concrete demand signal.

In Sydney, the first Apple store to sell the phones on Friday had a queue outside before it opened at 8 a.m. local time (2100 GMT). Simon Krishnan, a 48-year-old engineer, paid A$3,899 ($2,734) for a Duo with 512GB of storage.

“This is a bit of a luxury item for me, because it’s so expensive, but I just think, you know what? Life’s too short,” he said.

In China, a weak consumer market and rising memory costs have contributed to six consecutive quarters of declines in smartphone shipments. Apple’s market share has nevertheless recovered as some consumers have traded up to premium devices, while others have sought lower-priced options, increasing pressure on mid-range brands.

Liu Wei, a 26-year-old healthcare professional who already owns a foldable phone from Xiaomi, queued outside a central Shanghai Apple store from 6 a.m. to buy Apple’s first foldable device.

“I’ve used Apple products for many years and I have more trust (in the brand), so I bought one on launch day to try it out,” he said.

In Hong Kong, May, 38, who declined to provide a full name for privacy reasons, obtained a 256GB iPhone Duo during an online pre-sale. The handset retails for HK$17,499 ($2,231.73), and May said the aim was to resell it for a profit of about HK$4,000.

“A few meals’ worth of money,” May joked.

Mixed reviews

Early reviews have praised the Duo’s design and its sturdy, barely visible hinge. That is a significant achievement for a category in which the prominent crease across foldable screens has long been a drawback and a potential deterrent for buyers.

Reviewers have also pointed to compromises that could disappoint some customers, including the lack of a telephoto lens and third-party applications that still need to be adapted to the display size. They said the Duo is less convenient in its smaller, folded form for the many quick tasks users perform each day on standard iPhones. Several prominent reviewers have recommended against the device for many Apple customers.

“It’s been a lot of fun trying the Duo out for a week, but it feels like I’ve gotten to use an extraordinarily polished prototype — not a finished product that I’d want to buy and carry,” longtime Apple commentator John Gruber, who writes the Daring Fireball blog, said in a review.

Technology commentator Marques Brownlee, widely known as MKBHD, said in a YouTube review: “if you’re just a regular person who doesn’t do much more than texting, social media and browsing here and there, then it is probably a no. But if the $2,000 doesn’t mean much to you, and you like the idea, after the learning curve and getting used to not having facial identification, it is a really fun phone.”

Limited availability

Limited supplies could disappoint Apple customers queuing outside stores to buy the Duo. Apple told Reuters that walk-in availability would vary by country, with limited stocks in the US, Australia, Canada, Mexico and much of Britain and Europe. In China, France, Hong Kong, India and Japan, units would be available only to customers who had placed online orders. Supply is therefore the immediate variable to watch, since the same demand-versus-supply squeeze that pushed delivery estimates to late January is also shaping who can walk into a store and buy one.

“Foldables have been an established category for years, but adoption has remained relatively limited compared with conventional smartphones. Apple’s entry could bring the format to a much broader audience,” said Francisco Jeronimo, vice president at market researcher IDC.

IDC expects Apple to capture 44% of the foldable market by value in 2026, based on 31% of foldable units. The research firm forecasts that Apple will become the category’s market leader by both value and units shipped in 2027. Between the debut and those forecasts sit hurdles already visible at launch: third-party apps still awaiting adaptation to the new display size, reviewer reservations about the folded experience, and several markets where the phone remains available only to online orderers.

“Apple has made a convincing case for this form factor,” Jeronimo said after spending a week with the passport-shaped Duo.

“Now comes the next test: turning excitement into availability, adoption and a lasting new chapter for the smartphone market,” he said.

($1 = 1.4257 Australian dollars/7.8410 Hong Kong dollars) — Reuters