On a Friday morning in October, Apple opened its doors in Delhi, Mumbai and Noida to the first buyers of its foldable iPhone Duo, a device priced at up to Rs 4,49,900 and marking the company's most expensive iPhone yet. Those who lined up described its premium feel and exclusivity as worth the cost, a reminder that in every era new tools are first claimed by those who can afford to be early. Whether the appetite for such a costly object endures, and how it stands against Samsung's foldables, remains a question the coming months will answer.
'An iPhone Is An iPhone': Early Buyers Queue for Apple's Rs 2.99 Lakh iPhone Duo Foldable in India
An iPhone is an iPhone, and it gives the right feel.
Mark
Why does a story about a phone going on sale deserve attention?
Mimi
Because of the price. Rs 2,99,900 is the starting point, and the 2TB model reaches Rs 4,49,900. It's Apple's most expensive iPhone yet.
Mark
And the buyers said why they paid it?
Mimi
Exclusivity came up twice, from Akshat's father and from the Chandigarh buyer who bought three units for about Rs 9 lakh as Diwali gifts.
Luke
Careful, though. That's a handful of buyers at three stores. They're the ones who showed up at 8 AM, so they aren't a measure of demand overall.
Mark
What about the online waits stretching to mid-January 2027?
Mimi
That plus the two-per-customer cap suggests strong online demand, or limited supply.
Luke
Right, and the report doesn't say which. It gives no unit numbers or supply figures, so we can't tell scarcity from popularity.
Mark
The Surat buyer made a point about credit cards.
Mimi
He said fewer people have limits near Rs 3,00,000 than around Rs 1,50,000. That limits who can buy.
Luke
That's his own view, not data. Same with the claim that the Duo is competing strongly with Samsung's Fold. The report asserts it without sales figures.
Il Polso
- The base Duo price of Rs 2,99,900 has put a sharp question to Indian buyers: is a foldable iPhone worth this much?
- Store lines were short, but online buyers face a two-unit cap and delivery estimates stretching to mid-January 2027.
- Buyers are leaning on exclusivity and premium feel, with one planning giveaways and another ordering three units as gifts.
- Bank offers of up to Rs 7,000 and trade-in credits of up to Rs 81,500 are being used to ease the price pressure.
- The real test is whether demand holds at this price and how the Duo competes with Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold lineup in India.
On a Friday morning in October, Apple opened its doors in Delhi, Mumbai and Noida to the first buyers of its foldable iPhone Duo, a device priced at up to Rs 4,49,900 and marking the company's most expensive iPhone yet. Those who lined up described its premium feel and exclusivity as worth the cost, a reminder that in every era new tools are first claimed by those who can afford to be early. Whether the appetite for such a costly object endures, and how it stands against Samsung's foldables, remains a question the coming months will answer.
At eight on Friday morning, the doors of Apple's Saket store in Delhi opened for the first buyers of the iPhone Duo in India. The first through the door was Akshat, collecting a pre-ordered unit of Apple's first foldable. His father, asked why the family would spend so much, offered a single word: exclusivity.
In Mumbai, a buyer who had travelled from Surat arrived at Apple BKC at 2:30 AM. He bought the book-style foldable to give away, while his everyday phones remain the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. In Noida, a fan from Chandigarh collected three Duos as Diwali gifts for his family, a purchase of roughly Rs 9 lakh, again justified by exclusivity.
Online, Apple has capped purchases at two units per customer, and delivery has slipped to mid-January 2027. The Duo ranges from Rs 2,99,900 to Rs 4,49,900 and is being measured against Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. Discounts of up to Rs 7,000 through select bank cards and trade-in benefits of up to Rs 81,500 offer some relief.
The first day shows short store lines but long online waits. What comes next is whether demand holds at this price, and how the Duo fares against Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold range in India.
At eight on Friday morning, the doors of Apple's Saket store in Delhi opened for the first buyers of the iPhone Duo in India. The first person through was Akshat, there to collect a pre-ordered unit of Apple's first foldable iPhone, priced from Rs 2,99,900. His father, asked why the family would spend that much, gave a one-word answer: exclusivity.
Akshat had expected a long queue and found none. He called the phone very premium and put his verdict simply: an iPhone is an iPhone, and it gives the right feel.
In Mumbai, the first buyer at Apple BKC had come from Surat and arrived at 2:30 AM, hours before opening. He said he bought the book-style foldable to give to someone else in a giveaway. His own daily phones, he said, are the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. He also pointed to a practical limit on who can buy: fewer people hold credit cards with limits of up to Rs 3,00,000 than cards with limits around Rs 1,50,000.
At the Noida store, a fan from Chandigarh came to collect three pre-ordered Duos. They were Diwali gifts for his wife and son, he said, and he put the total at about Rs 9 lakh, again citing exclusivity as the reason.
Online, Apple has capped purchases at two units per customer, and delivery estimates have stretched to mid-January 2027. The foldable has drawn attention globally for a nearly crease-free design and is being positioned against Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.
The Duo is Apple's most expensive iPhone yet. The base model is Rs 2,99,900, the 512GB version costs Rs 3,24,900, the 1TB Rs 3,74,900, and the 2TB tops the range at Rs 4,49,900. It comes in Star White and Night Sky.
Apple is offering some offsets. Eligible ICICI Bank, Axis Bank and American Express cards get an instant discount of up to Rs 7,000, and trade-ins can bring an exchange benefit of up to Rs 81,500.
The first-day picture is of short store lines but long online waits. What to watch is whether demand holds at this price, and how the Duo fares against Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold range in India.
Citazioni salienti
An iPhone is an iPhone and it gives the right feel.— Akshat, first iPhone Duo buyer at Apple Saket, Delhi
It feels good to get the iPhone Duo but I love to use iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.— First buyer at Apple BKC, Mumbai
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